BEACHES in Greece are being evacuated after a fresh wave of wildfires erupted near Athens as water-bombing planes were scrambled to tackle the blaze.
The latest inferno broke out this morning in Viotia in Central Greece, about 62 miles north of the capital, and left one person dead.
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Officials said the victim was an 80-year-old shepherd who ran trying to save his livestock but was found dead in his sheep pen.
A fire service official said around 60 firefighters assisted by four water-bombing planes were working to put out the flames.
Two settlements in the area have been evacuated while people on a beach were also urged to flee the region.
The mayor of Thebes Giorgos Anastasiou told state media that the fire that is only half a mile away from people’s homes, and that the strong winds are making it difficult to contain it.
“Helicopters along with a strong ground force of volunteers and local residents and machinery that has been made available, are trying to put out the fire. It is too difficult,” he said.
The coast guard put two patrol boats and several fishing boats and private vessels on standby in case an evacuation by sea was necessary.
Firefighters continue to battle flames across the country as authorities have issued an urgent warning of an “extreme” fire risk around Athens and other parts of southern Greece.
Another blaze broke out on the island of Evia, where 42 firefighters had been deployed backed up by four planes.
Greece’s second-biggest island was previously ravaged by wildfires in 2021, that destroyed 50,000 hectares of forest.
The catastrophic blaze which lasted more than a week, was one of the worst fires in the country’s history, that burnt the land and sent locals and tourists fleeing to the sea for safety.
Fires also continued for a third day in northeastern Greece near the port city of Alexandroupolis as strong winds rekindled flames across forests and farmland.
Seven firefighters and one volunteer had to be taken to hospital with injuries, as officials said it’s “raining ash” in the city’s center, urging locals to keep their doors and windows shut.
Some 13 villages have been evacuated so far as fire service crews are fighting to halt the fire near Dadia National Park which was ravaged by wildfires last year.
More than 200 firefighters, assisted by 16 water-dropping planes and seven helicopters, volunteers and the armed forces were battling the fire, government spokesman Pavlos Marinakis said.
The very hot and dry conditions which increase the fire risk will persist until Friday, according to meteorologists.
“The (firefighting) system is on alert, and we must be too. The risk of wildfires remains high,” Marinakis said.
Last month the Greek island of Rhodes declared a state of emergency after it was engulfed in flames forcing the evacuation of 20,000 people.
While two air force pilots died when their firefighting plane clipped a tree and crashed while battling a wildfire in Evia.
It comes as wildfires are ripping through Tenerife with authorities saying the blaze was put deliberately.
More than 12,000 people have been evacuated from the Spanish holiday hotspot while over 13,000 hectares of land have been burnt.
Canary Island regional President Fernando Clavijo told Spains Cadena SER radio the worst is over, adding that the hundreds of firefighters deployed had made some progress for the second night in a row.
Spain is bracing for another heatwave, as temperatures are set to rocket to 40C in some areas.
The country’s state weather service has issued a “special notice” for rising heat until the middle of the week.
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