On Tuesday, hundreds of European firefighters were expected to assist in containing the catastrophic wildfire that has burnt portions of the suburbs surrounding Athens as Greece battled it for a third day.
Driven by powerful winds, the largest wildfire in Greece this year tore through a parched terrain, displacing thousands of people from their homes and causing extensive damage in and around the Greek capital.
At least 66 people have received medical attention for injuries, and at least one person has died. There have also been injuries to two firemen.
“We are at a better level across the front”, Costas Tsigkas, head of the association of Greek firefighter officers, told state television ERT early on Tuesday.
“But conditions again will not be easy. There will be winds from midday onwards” and “every hour that passes will be more difficult”, he said.
The National Observatory said temperatures of up to 38 degrees Celsius (100 Fahrenheit) are expected in Athens on Tuesday, with winds of up to 39 kilometres (24 miles) per hour.
The fire brigade reported that on Tuesday, about 700 firemen, supported by 200 fire engines and nine aircraft, were fighting the fire that started on Sunday afternoon in the town of Varnavas, about 35 kilometers northeast of Athens.
Driven by powerful gusts, it expanded to a 30-kilometer front line of fire that was, in certain areas, more than 25 meters (80 feet) high, as reported by state television ERT.
At least 10,000 hectares (24,700 acres) had been destroyed by the fire, according to Greece’s National Observatory, which was itself put in danger by the wildfire on Monday.
Authorities claimed that more firemen, helicopters, fire engines, and water tankers were anticipated to join the operation from France, Italy, the Czech Republic, Romania, Serbia, and Turkey in response to the Greek government’s request for international assistance.
It is thought that a lady was the first person to die in the wildfire when her body was discovered on Tuesday inside a factory that had burned down in Athens.
Since Sunday, 66 people have received treatment for fire-related injuries, according to the health ministry.
