Hundreds of firefighters battled a deadly wildfire near Athens for a second day Saturday, August 9, with strong winds raising fears it could spread. A fire department spokesperson said more than 260 firefighters with nearly 80 fire engines and 12 aircraft were deployed near Keratea, a rural area some 43 kilometers southeast of Athens. "The fire has weakened but there are still active pockets," the spokesperson told Agence France-Presse (AFP).
A new fire broke out close to the nearby town of Kouvaras on Saturday but was quickly brought under control. Dimitris Loukas, mayor of the nearest city of Lavrio, said the Keratea fire that broke out Friday had devastated nearly 10,000 acres of brush and forest. "Many homes were destroyed, in addition to other properties, agricultural and forest land," he told state news agency ANA.
The National Observatory in Athens on Saturday said the high winds will persist until at least Monday.
Firefighters and police evacuated dozens of people late Friday from homes and an elderly care centre as the flames neared the coastal resort of Palaia Fokaia. Firefighters later found the remains of an elderly man in a hut near Keratea. He died in his bed, Loukas said.
Gale-force winds on Friday also caused the deaths of two Vietnamese tourists who fell into the sea at Sarakiniko beach on the Cycladic island of Milos. The 61-year-old woman and 65-year-old man were on a cruise ship group visiting the lunar-like, volcanic rock beach, the coastguard said. A coastguard spokesperson told AFP the woman had fallen into the water, and the man had tried to help her.
Greece's national weather service EMY said winds of up to 74 kilometers an hour were forecast for Saturday. The weather on Friday disrupted ferry travel for tens of thousands of summer holidaymakers. A sailing ban on Athens ports was lifted Saturday.