A tragic incident has occurred in Greece as a woman lost her life in a devastating wildfire that is rapidly approaching Athens. The blaze, which started near the village of Varnavas, has already destroyed at least 100 homes and vast areas of land, with firefighters and water-bombing aircraft working tirelessly to contain it.
The flames have now reached Vrilissia, just eight miles from Athens, where the lifeless body of a woman in her 60s was discovered by firefighters inside a burnt-out factory. It is believed that she may have been trapped inside the building before it was engulfed by the fire.
More than 250 individuals have been evacuated from the fire’s path, with smoke and ash enveloping the city of Athens and push alerts urging residents in outlying neighborhoods to evacuate. The wildfire has already consumed approximately 40 square miles of land, leading to the evacuation of three hospitals and power outages in some parts of the Athens region.
As the winds are expected to intensify, reaching speeds of up to 60 to 70 km per hour, the entire country remains on high alert for wildfires until Thursday. This alarming situation is a stark reminder of the escalating intensity of wildfires in Greece, attributed to climate change causing hotter temperatures and reduced rainfall.
While wildfires are a common occurrence during the summer months in Greece, the severity of these incidents has been escalating in recent years. The exact cause of this devastating wildfire is still under investigation, but the impact on lives, homes, and land is undeniable.
Last year alone, wildfires in Greece claimed the lives of over 20 individuals, including 18 migrants who were trapped in a forest fire in the northeastern part of the country. The threat of wildfires continues to loom large over Greece, highlighting the urgent need for proactive measures to mitigate the impact of these disasters in the future.
