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Two dead and hundreds evacuated as wildfires break out near Athens
BBC • • world
Key Points:
- Two people died and hundreds were evacuated after nearly simultaneous fires broke out on the Greek island of Salamina, near Athens, with about 200 firefighters deployed to contain the blazes.
- The first fire started near the island's south coast in Peristeria, followed 20 minutes later by a second fire in the eastern town of Selinia, both spreading rapidly due to high winds.
- Over 360 people have been evacuated by sea, with patrol boats, private vessels, aircraft, and 50 fire engines assisting in firefighting and evacuation efforts.
- Firefighters are working to prevent the two fires from merging and spreading over a mountain on the island, which has a population of around 37,000, many elderly residents.
- Across Europe, wildfires have been intense this weekend, including a major fire in Belgium's Hautes Fagnes nature reserve and a deadly wildfire on Croatia's coastline that caused at least one death and multiple injuries.
