Greek seaside towns and Swiss mountain villages evacuated

In Greece, a large forest fire started yesterday in Kouvaras, about 25 kilometers from the capital Athens. Two hundred firefighters and twenty soldiers were deployed to extinguish the fire, as well as nearly seventy fire engines and sixteen firefighting aircraft and helicopters.

As a precaution, the fire brigade has evacuated some nearby seaside towns, such as Lagonissi, Anavyssos and Saronida. A monastery in the region and the famous spa town of Loutraki were also evacuated. There, 1,200 children were evacuated from holiday camps. The road to the neighboring town of Kalyvia has been interrupted because visibility is too poor due to low-hanging smoke. The smoke development and the strong gusts of wind can also cause problems for air traffic.

Suspect arrested

“It is a difficult fire to extinguish, the wind does not make our work any easier with gusts of up to 60 kilometers per hour,” said Yannis Artopios, spokesperson for the fire brigade. A man responsible for the fire has also been arrested. It would be a foreigner, but it is not clear what his nationality is.

Greece is currently experiencing a heat wave. Temperatures should drop a bit in the coming days, but they could rise to 43 degrees by the end of this week. “We are in the middle of the wildfire season and the current climatic conditions are ideal for generating new fires,” said the fire service.

Switzerland

A forest fire is also currently raging in Switzerland, in the canton of Valais. The inhabitants of the mountain villages of Fiesch et Obere-Eichen/Bitsch were evacuated on Monday evening. About two hundred firefighters are trying to extinguish the fire, helicopters are also being deployed. The police warn of falling rocks.