Wildfires threaten Athens suburbs

The blaze started in Varnavas, and high winds rapidly spread it to a 20km-long front to threaten eastern Athenian suburbs on Mt. Penteli

Mount Penteli photographed from a commercial flight

Greece found itself in another summer fire emergency requiring international assistance on Monday, almost exactly a year since it experienced Europe’s largest ever wildfire.

Unlike last year’s blaze in the northeastern region of Western Thrace, this fire threatens the capital.

The Fire Service said 17 waterbombing planes and 18 helicopters, a vast proportion of the country’s resources, were attending the fire, along with over 700 firefighters, almost 200 firefighting vehicles and 27 groups of ‘forest commandos’ - tactical groups that operate on foot in difficult terrain impassable to vehicles, usually to put out blazes before they spread.