Fires in Greece: a thousand evacuated at Porto Germeno

The fires affecting Greece have led to further evacuations. At Porto Germeno, a coastal town north-west of Athens, around a thousand people had to leave their homes.

For 250 residents and tourists the evacuation took place by sea. Strong winds continue to fuel the flames and complicate the work of the rescue teams.

Police are carrying out house-to-house checks in the areas at risk, to make sure nobody has stayed inside the buildings. Fire can surround a building within a few minutes and make it impossible to get out.

Two victims among the rescuers

Two crew members of a firefighting helicopter died in a collision with another aircraft. The accident happened while crews were working on a large forest fire on the border between Attica and Boeotia, not far from Athens. The crew of the second helicopter was unhurt.

The episode points to the risk that comes with air operations on fronts of this kind. Helicopters work at low altitude, with visibility reduced by smoke and with several aircraft deployed over the same area at the same time.

When conditions allow, rescue workers are also trying to recover animals left behind in areas abandoned during the hurried departures.

The evacuations by sea show the kind of difficulty these fires impose. When access roads are cut off by the flames, the coast becomes the only way out available to shoreline communities.

The number of evacuees can change during the day. Authorities order departures according to how the fire advances, and a shift in wind direction can extend the order to further towns.

The situation in Greece is part of a difficult season for the whole Mediterranean area. Wind and high temperatures remain the factors that determine how fast the fire spreads and how much room ground crews have to act.