Line Løhre Olsen (54) from Trondheim has lived in the Greek capital since 1990. She can not remember that it has been as hot as now ever before.
– This heat wave is compared to the one that was here in 1987, and then I was here on holiday and remember well that it was terribly hot. But this is probably the worst heat wave I have been out for here in Greece, she says.
In several places in Greece, temperatures of around 45 degrees have been measured in recent days.
– When you open the door, you think you are opening the door to a sauna. The heat hits you, Olsen says.
Fears heat record: – Very critical
– Difficult to breathe
North of the capital, a forest fire has extinguished more than 80 houses, and over 500 fire crews have been fighting the flames since Tuesday night. Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis describes the fire as a nightmare.
WORST IN DECADES: Norwegian Line Løhre Olsen has lived in Greece since 1990. She has never experienced worse heat than the country has had for days now. Photo: Private
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On Wednesday, Olsen was asked to stay home from the office where she works as finance manager, because the premises are located in an area of the city where it burned on Tuesday.
– It was safest not to come to the office. There is also a lot of smoke and it is difficult to breathe in large parts of Athens, she says.
Several holiday paradises swallowed by flames
She herself lives in a district where she is not bothered by the smoke, and where there is no immediate danger from the fires.
– I watch the news all the time and follow. Fortunately, there are many volunteers and firefighters, planes and helicopters, who I hope will get over this. But I fear that when it is extinguished here, it is new places that get fires. One must have respect for this, and there are dangerous conditions when it is so hot and it can spread very quickly, she says.
CLOSED IN THE HEAT: Greek authorities on Tuesday took the unusual step of closing the Acropolis and other sights to tourists when the sun rises at its worst in the afternoon. Photo: Louisa Gouliamaki / AFP / NTB
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– Hope the house stands
On the island of Evvia, a couple of hours drive from Athens, several forest fires are also raging, and many areas have been evacuated. Olsen and his family were last in the holiday home they have on the island this weekend.
– When I left there, I thought that “I hope the house is there when we return next weekend”.
According to Olsen, around 150 houses have been lost north of Evvia.
– There was an outbreak of fire about 20 kilometers north of our house this weekend. It was extinguished quickly, but you live a little with the anxiety.
FIRE THREATS: Several fires have broken out on the Greek island of Evvia in recent days. Here from the village of Limni. Photo: Michael Pappas / AP / NTB
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– Smells burnt
The Norwegian Pål Foss (62) has a holiday apartment right next to the famous landmark Akropolis in the capital, where he writes two books during a sabbatical year from his job at Østfold University College.
He describes the last few days as tiring.
– It smells very burnt, and I do not want to go out. It gets quite overwhelming and uncomfortable. It is so intense, he tells Dagbladet.
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According to Foss, Greek authorities have asked residents to stay indoors – sheltered from both the scorching sun and smoke.
– You can not go anywhere in the center without getting the intense and annoying stench of burnt soil and burnt wood. It tears in the nose all the time.
– INTENSIVE: – You can not go anywhere in the center without getting the intense and annoying stench of burnt soil and burnt wood. It tears in the nose all the time, says Norwegian Pål Foss. Photo: Private
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Covered by smoke
Normally, Foss can see the sea from the roof of the apartment complex, but now there is only smoke, he says.
– I was on the roof this morning, and it was quite extreme. It’s really blue sky, but now you can hardly see the sky because the whole area is covered in smoke.
In Greece, 81 forest fires were reported within 24 hours from Monday night to Tuesday night, and it is expected that the extreme heat wave will continue throughout the week.
The heat wave has also led to extensive forest fires in Turkey, where at least eight people have died and many have lost both livestock and homes. Several fires are also raging in Italy.
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