Marathon residents asked to evacuate as heatwave persists

Thousands of residents have been evacuated from their homes as a huge fire continues to rage north of Athens, with flames up to 25 metres high.

The Marathon Historic Site is among the areas where emergency services are moving residents to safety.

Houses and properties in the nearby town of Varnavas were burning, according to firefighters. Firefighters were also evacuating people trapped by the flames in a convoy of 20 to 25 vehicles that had been trying to flee the area.

Forty fires have broken out in Greece since Saturday afternoon, with firefighters still battling seven of them.

Climate Crisis and Civil Protection Minister Vassilis Kikilias warned that extremely dangerous weather will continue. Greece has just experienced its hottest June and July register.

Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis returned to Athens on Sunday, interrupting his vacation early, to address the crisis.

In Varnavas, the forest fire that broke out on Sunday afternoon had burned 100 sq km of land by 19:00 BST.

Residents of Varnavas and Grammatiko received orders to evacuate via a message from the national emergency number.

Residents of the historic town of Marathon have been ordered to evacuate to the seaside resort of Nea Makri.

Fire brigade spokesman Vassilis Vathrakogiannis said the fire was quickly fanned to enormous proportions by strong winds. up to 8 Beaufort (60-72 km/h).

“We appeal to all residents in the area. For their safety and given that the fire is advancing rapidly, it is essential that they follow the instructions of the authorities,” said Mr Vathrakogiannis.

“The fire is currently advancing towards Marathon Lake and the forces fighting it are being constantly reinforced, focusing on the flanks and dealing with flames that in some cases exceed 25 metres,” he added.

To put out the flames, 165 firefighters were employed, including nine foot teams, as well as 30 vehicles, seven firefighting planes and five helicopters.

The strong winds were greatly hampering the work of the fire-fighting aircraft involved in the operation; the fight against the fire was expected to last throughout the night, as the winds were expected to continue to be very strong.

Medical centers and hospitals in Athens remained on high alert Sunday night. Parts of the capital were left under a cloud of brown smoke.