A massive forest fire on Tuesday further forest and residential areas burned down on the outskirts of the historic old town of Athens – several districts are threatened and thousands of people in the Greek capital can no longer breathe properly.

The area devastated by the worst forest fires in Greece this year is so vast that it could accommodate four airports like Delhi’s or almost half of the industrial city of Noida in Uttar Pradesh, according to an analysis of satellite images by India Today.

Images taken by the US earth observation company Planet Lab PBC on Monday, August 12, show the Forest fire burned more than 22,600 hectares of landSince then, it has claimed even more land.

The fire started on Sunday near Lake Marathon, about 35 kilometers northeast of Athens, spread over the Pendi mountain range and reached the picturesque suburbs of the capital in the north. Several houses and shops burned down.
Hundreds of firefighters, supported by fire engines and firefighting aircraft, fought the fire, which set fire to houses, vehicles and large parts of the bone-dry forest.

Reuters reported that the city of Athens was flooded with smoke and ash, causing panic in neighborhoods that had not experienced such a fire so close to the center for decades.

According to authorities, a person was found dead in Vrilissia, about 14 kilometers from the center of Athens.

The cause of the forest fire has not yet been determined.

In Greece, the highest level of alert is in place until Thursday. Strong winds are expected and temperatures are expected to reach up to 40 degrees Celsius.

Local media reported that a rapid increase in PM2.5 particles had led to air that was “dangerous to health.” The atmosphere in southern Athens was “suffocating,” with levels above 200 micrograms per cubic meter. The problem was exacerbated by strong gusts that carried the smoke more than 300 kilometers from its source, the European weather satellite Meteosat-11 reported.

The local newspaper “Proto Thema” reported that the fire damage covered an area of ​​100 square kilometers and affected 100 houses.
More than 30 areas had to be evacuated, including at least three hospitals. Power outages occurred in parts of the Athens region. Passenger ferries heading to the port of Rafina in the northeast of the capital were diverted.

Forest fires have been a part of Greek summers for years, but climate change has brought hotter weather and less rain – ideal conditions for large-scale fires.

The southern European country experienced its warmest winter on record this year and was heading for its hottest summer, with many areas experiencing months of almost no rain. The worsening situation was reflected across southern Europe, including Spain and the Balkans.