fevertrees
08-24-2009, 09:34 AM
Thousands of Greeks were battling to save their homes from forest fires raging out of control on the outskirts of Athens as authorities declared a state of emergency and mobilised the army today in the capital.
Gale-force winds hampered firefighting efforts for a second day as the flames encroached on the city's outer suburbs. Officials appealed to residents to evacuate but some Athenians remained in their homes to try to battle the inferno with hoses and buckets.
The Greek government has appealed for help from Italy, France and Cyprus. State-run institutions, including the children's hospital in Pendeli, were abandoned as the flames spread.
"What we are facing is a huge ordeal," said prime minister Kostas Karamanlis. "A massive effort by authorities is taking place to deal with this very difficult challenge."
Environmentalists said that the blazes had caused "biblical damage" to an estimated 120,000 hectares of virgin fir and prime forest. Scores of homes in well-heeled north-eastern Athens were also reported to have been gutted. The scenes evoked memories of the devastating fires of 2007, in which up to 70 people were killed. Greeks are now asking how their country could still appear so unprepared for a similar disaster.
"There is no coordination between the police, fire fighters or local authorities. It's chaos," said Yiannis Nikitopoulos, the mayor of Anixi, one of the affected suburbs. He added that he had "no doubt" that most of the fires now afflicting Athens were the work of arsonists determined to clear land for developers.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2009/aug/23/athens-greece-forest-fires
Gale-force winds hampered firefighting efforts for a second day as the flames encroached on the city's outer suburbs. Officials appealed to residents to evacuate but some Athenians remained in their homes to try to battle the inferno with hoses and buckets.
The Greek government has appealed for help from Italy, France and Cyprus. State-run institutions, including the children's hospital in Pendeli, were abandoned as the flames spread.
"What we are facing is a huge ordeal," said prime minister Kostas Karamanlis. "A massive effort by authorities is taking place to deal with this very difficult challenge."
Environmentalists said that the blazes had caused "biblical damage" to an estimated 120,000 hectares of virgin fir and prime forest. Scores of homes in well-heeled north-eastern Athens were also reported to have been gutted. The scenes evoked memories of the devastating fires of 2007, in which up to 70 people were killed. Greeks are now asking how their country could still appear so unprepared for a similar disaster.
"There is no coordination between the police, fire fighters or local authorities. It's chaos," said Yiannis Nikitopoulos, the mayor of Anixi, one of the affected suburbs. He added that he had "no doubt" that most of the fires now afflicting Athens were the work of arsonists determined to clear land for developers.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2009/aug/23/athens-greece-forest-fires