A massive, fast-moving wildfire rages near Athens, Greece, fueled by strong winds, drought, scorching heat, reaching flames up to 25 meters (80 feet) high.
The blaze spread to the suburbs around 9 miles from the city center, forcing mass evacuations of over a dozen areas, including hospitals, monasteries, and homes.
The fire burned homes, businesses, cars, trees, an indoor stadium, and infrastructure, covering Athens in smoke and ash, causing power cuts, injuries, hospitalizations, and at least one death.
Hundreds of firefighters, commando teams, vehicles, volunteers, and assistance from other European nations were involved in extinguishing the fires, which broke out in 40 different locations on Monday.
Authorities mobilized a large-scale operation involving 685 firefighters, specialized wildfire response teams, military personnel, numerous vehicles and aircraft, and requested international aid.
Authorities attributed the heightened fire danger to climate change, which has made wildfires more frequent, intense, and a recurring threat in Greece and other regions like Spain and the Balkans.
Greece faces its worst wildfire season in two decades, with firefighters battling dozens of wildfires daily since the beginning of summer.
Sources: AP News, BBC News, Sky News, Independent, New York Times, Financial Times, ABC News, New York Post, South China Morning Post, CBC News, Yahoo News, CGTN, Kathimerini, Hindustan Times, Washington Post, Time
This article was written in collaboration with Generative AI news company Alchemiq.
