Firefighters battle against a wildfire at Varybobi, Acharnes, Greece, on Aug. 3, 2021. A major forest fire broke out on Tuesday afternoon on the foothills of Mount Parnitha, in the municipality of Acharnes about 17 kilometers northeast of Athens, prompting a large response from the fire service as the blaze was threatening to reach residential areas and nearby equestrian centers. (Xinhua/Marios Lolos)
ATHENS, Aug. 3 (Xinhua) -- A major forest fire broke out on Tuesday afternoon on the foothills of Mount Parnitha, in the municipality of Acharnes about 17 kilometers northeast of Athens, prompting a large response from the fire service as the blaze was threatening to reach residential areas and nearby equestrian centers.
The fire in a dense pine forest in Ano Varybobi was spreading quickly in the hot and dry weather that has gripped the country since last Thursday. The authorities have reinforced the fire brigade and deployed aerial firefighters to battle the blaze.
On Tuesday, 350 firefighters were deployed in the area -- ten teams on foot and 70 vehicles, five helicopters and five aircraft, including a Russian Beriev Be-200 amphibious plane, as well as an army of volunteers and municipal crews.
The Civil Protection Service issued an emergency 112 alert to residents of Varybobi and Adames, urging them to evacuate their homes.
The fire has led to the closure of the Athens-Lamia national highway in both directions. The suburban train service between Athens and Thessaloniki has also been suspended, the Greek railway company TrainOSE said in a statement.
The fire has damaged a 400-kilowatt electricity transmitter, causing voltage fluctuations across Athens and power outages in some parts of the capital, the Greek national news agency AMNA reported.
Greece is hit by wildfires every summer. In 2018, 102 people died in the coastal resort of Mati near Athens in the country's worst-ever forest inferno. Enditem
