STORY: Wildfire rages near Athens
SHOOTING TIME: Aug. 11, 2024
DATELINE: Aug. 12, 2024
LENGTH: 00:01:51
LOCATION: Athens
CATEGORY: SOCIETY

SHOTLIST:
1. various of Greek firefighters fighting the fire
2. SOUNDBITE (Greek): VASILIOS VATHRAKOGIANNIS, Fire Service spokesperson
3. various of Greek firefighters fighting the fire to prevent a house from burning in the area of Mikrochori, North Attica
4. various of citizens looking down on the fire near their homes

STORYLINE:

Near Athens, Greek firefighters battled a major wildfire for several hours on Sunday. This forced the evacuation of five settlements, the Fire Brigade said.

Health Minister Adonis Georgiadis said that some evacuees were transferred to hospitals with minor injuries. This mostly involved respiratory problems due to smoke inhalation.

The fire broke out at around 3 p.m. local time in Varnavas, which is located around 35 km from Athens in Greece's northeastern Attica region. Fueled by hot and windy weather, the fire spread fast and covered a large part of Athens in thick plumes of smoke.

SOUNDBITE (Greek): VASILIOS VATHRAKOGIANNIS, Fire Service spokesperson
"The fire is progressing towards the lake of Marathon, with forces constantly intensifying and fighting flames of up to 25 meters."

Greek meteorologists said that wind speeds had reached as high as an eight on the Beaufort scale. Amid these winds, smoke from the fire has traveled a distance of about 100 km from Varnavas.

Approximately 400 firefighters have been working to contain the front, a fire brigade spokesperson said at a press briefing in Athens. The firefighters are supported by 29 water-dropping airplanes and helicopters, 110 fire engines, military squads and many volunteers.

Xinhua News Agency correspondents reporting from Athens.
(XHTV)