Firefighters in Greece struggle to save coastal resort as winds rage

PORTO GERMENO: Hundreds of firefighters in Greece on Saturday (Aug 1) were battling to save a popular coastal resort northwest of Athens as violent winds lashed the country, hampering operations.

More than 400 firefighters, backed by several dozen specialised aircraft, were battling blazes in the area of Porto Germeno, some 70km northwest of Athens, the fire department said.

“Some aircraft have managed to operate despite the wind, and we are seeing spectacular results,” the deputy governor of the affected Voiotia region, Giorgos Dasiotis, told state TV ERT.

“Things are much better … however the wind gusts change conditions instantaneously, it’s unprecedented,” he said.

“BURNED COMPLETELY”

Dimos Economou, who lives in nearby Vilia and came to help said many homes had burned.

“Many homes have burned. As far as I know, there have been no fatalities, but many houses have been destroyed,” he told AFP in Porto Germeno as the odour of smoke hung heavily in the air.

According to meteo.gr, the weather service of the National Observatory of Athens, winds up to 130 kilometres per hour were recorded Saturday.

“The fire was too strong, and the wind was too strong. There was nothing you could do, only watch the fire,” said Minas Tsotdanis, a farmer from the village of Aspra Chomata near Porto Germeno.

“My house burned completely. Around 15 houses were burned. We are waiting for the fire to finish, and then we will go down to see what happened,” he told AFP.

The fire broke out Friday near the neighbouring coastal village of Agios Vasileios. Residents initially ignored a civil protection call to evacuate, and some 300 people had to be rescued by sea.

Up to 150 homes in Porto Germeno are believed to have been damaged by the fire, Dimitris Pagonis, a senior civil protection official from the nearby town of Mandra, told Skai TV.

Inside the town, a middle-aged volunteer told AFP that no one was coordinating the response.

“No one is managing the situation … there are houses that haven’t burned yet … animals that need to be rescued … but there’s no one here to tell us whether we can go in or not,” said Costas Liberopoulos.