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Fires in Greece kill a shepherd, the areas around Athens are at risk

2023-08-21 13:42:14, Kosova & Bota CNA

Fires in Greece kill a shepherd, the areas around Athens are at risk

Illustrative photo

A man was found dead in a fire that broke out north of Athens on August 21, firefighters said, battling a massive new blaze and warning of an "extreme" fire danger in the region around the capital, Athens.

"An old shepherd ran into his paddock to save the animals and was found dead," a fire brigade spokesman told AFP.

A large fire broke out in the central Greek region of Boeotia, about 100 kilometers north of Athens, rescue services said.

People who were staying on a beach and in two nearby communities were ordered to evacuate those areas.

About 56 firefighters and four water jets were battling the new blaze during the day, an official from the fire service told AFP news agency.

The fires continued to burn for the third day in the northeastern part of Greece, near the city of Alexandroupolis.

Firefighting teams have been deployed on several fronts and are trying to stop the progress of the fire towards the Dadia National Park, which suffered significant fire damage last year. There are currently over 200 firefighters engaged throughout Greece, while many volunteers and police are also fighting the fires.

Seven firefighters and a volunteer were taken to hospital with injuries, the fire service official said.

About 12 communities were evacuated over the weekend and civil defense authorities asked residents to stay indoors because of the smoke. A state of emergency has been declared in this area.

Civil defense authorities warned of an "extreme" fire risk in the region around Athens and other parts of southern Greece.

Very hot and dry conditions that increase fire danger will continue into Friday, according to forecasters.

Last month, around 20,000 people, mostly tourists, were forced to evacuate the island of Rhodes after a fire broke out, which was then ignited and blown away by strong winds.

Almost 17,770 hectares were destroyed within ten days in the southern part of the island in the Aegean Sea.

July this year faced Greece with the worst heat wave ever during the month of July, with temperatures above 40 degrees Celsius in many places, according to the National Observatory in Athens./ REL