Athens: The capital of Greece, Athens, seems to be surrounded by a new crisis. The forest fire in the northern part of Athens is becoming uncontrollable. The help of more than two dozen aircraft is being taken to control the continuously spreading fire. Hundreds of firefighters are engaged in extinguishing the fire by spraying water from the planes. The fire department said that a children’s hospital and a military hospital were evacuated on Monday morning. Orders have been issued to evacuate more than a dozen areas, including Marathon and several suburbs of Athens. Rooms are being made available in hotels for people in the surrounding suburbs.
Fire flared up due to strong winds
According to local media, two firefighters were slightly injured while many citizens complaining of suffocation due to smoke are being treated in the hospital. The fire has created a cloud of smoke in the sky of Athens, due to which darkness has spread around. The fire broke out about 35 kilometers from Athens on Sunday afternoon. Strong winds further aggravated it, causing the fire to become uncontrollable. This year June and July were the hottest months ever recorded in Greece and this time the hottest winter was also recorded here.
Red alert issued
Meteorologists and government officials have warned of an increased risk of forest fires due to weather conditions from Sunday to Thursday. Climate Crisis and Civil Protection Minister Vasilis Kikilias said that a “red alert” has been issued for half of the country in view of the danger of forest fires.