9 erring body care centers shut in Riyadh    20,000 military emblems confiscated in Riyadh    Al-Samaani visits headquarters of Hague Conference on Private International Law    KSrelief provided over $7bln to support children around the world    Al-Jasser: Saudi Arabia to expand rail network to over 8,000 km    OMODA&JAECOO: Unstoppable global cumulative sales over 360,000 units    Saudi Arabia sees 73.7% rise in investment licenses in Q3 2024    Al Hilal doesn't need extra support to bring new players, CEO says    Rust premieres at low-key film festival three years after shooting    Fate of Gaetz ethics report uncertain after congressional panel deadlocked    Ukraine fires UK-supplied Storm Shadow missiles at Russia for first time    Netanyahu offers $5 million and safe passage out of Gaza to anyone returning a hostage    Indian billionaire Gautam Adani indicted in New York on fraud charges    Rafael Nadal: Farewell to the 'King of Clay'    Indonesia shocks Saudi Arabia with 2-0 victory in AFC Asian Qualifiers    Sitting too much linked to heart disease –– even if you work out    Yemeni Orchestra's captivating performances in Riyadh, showcasing shared cultural legacies    Future of Ronaldo's Al Nassr contract remains undecided, says Saudi Pro League CEO    GASTAT report: 45.1% of Saudis are overweight    Denmark's Victoria Kjær Theilvig wins Miss Universe 2024    Order vs. Morality: Lessons from New York's 1977 Blackout    India puts blockbuster Pakistani film on hold    The Vikings and the Islamic world    Filipino pilgrim's incredible evolution from an enemy of Islam to its staunch advocate    Exotic Taif Roses Simulation Performed at Taif Rose Festival    Asian shares mixed Tuesday    Weather Forecast for Tuesday    Saudi Tourism Authority Participates in Arabian Travel Market Exhibition in Dubai    Minister of Industry Announces 50 Investment Opportunities Worth over SAR 96 Billion in Machinery, Equipment Sector    HRH Crown Prince Offers Condolences to Crown Prince of Kuwait on Death of Sheikh Fawaz Salman Abdullah Al-Ali Al-Malek Al-Sabah    HRH Crown Prince Congratulates Santiago Peña on Winning Presidential Election in Paraguay    SDAIA Launches 1st Phase of 'Elevate Program' to Train 1,000 Women on Data, AI    41 Saudi Citizens and 171 Others from Brotherly and Friendly Countries Arrive in Saudi Arabia from Sudan    Saudi Arabia Hosts 1st Meeting of Arab Authorities Controlling Medicines    General Directorate of Narcotics Control Foils Attempt to Smuggle over 5 Million Amphetamine Pills    NAVI Javelins Crowned as Champions of Women's Counter-Strike: Global Offensive (CS:GO) Competitions    Saudi Karate Team Wins Four Medals in World Youth League Championship    Third Edition of FIFA Forward Program Kicks off in Riyadh    Evacuated from Sudan, 187 Nationals from Several Countries Arrive in Jeddah    SPA Documents Thajjud Prayer at Prophet's Mosque in Madinah    SFDA Recommends to Test Blood Sugar at Home Two or Three Hours after Meals    SFDA Offers Various Recommendations for Safe Food Frying    SFDA Provides Five Tips for Using Home Blood Pressure Monitor    SFDA: Instant Soup Contains Large Amounts of Salt    Mawani: New shipping service to connect Jubail Commercial Port to 11 global ports    Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques Delivers Speech to Pilgrims, Citizens, Residents and Muslims around the World    Sheikh Al-Issa in Arafah's Sermon: Allaah Blessed You by Making It Easy for You to Carry out This Obligation. Thus, Ensure Following the Guidance of Your Prophet    Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques addresses citizens and all Muslims on the occasion of the Holy month of Ramadan    







Thank you for reporting!
This image will be automatically disabled when it gets reported by several people.



Fresh evacuation alert as Greek wildfire threat continues
Published in The Saudi Gazette on 13 - 08 - 2024

A new evacuation alert for the Greek seaside town of Nea Makri has been ordered on Tuesday, as fierce wildfires continue to affect the suburbs of Athens.
One person has died, with a body, believed to be of a woman, found inside a shop in the town of Vrilissia, northern Athens, a source from the fire service told the BBC.
Thousands of people have been evacuated after firefighters warned that homes, businesses and schools were under threat.
The huge smoke cloud that lingered over Athens cleared as Tuesday dawned, although the air is still hazy.
Helicopters were circling the skies after being grounded overnight for safety reasons.
Residents in areas of Athens that haven't even been directly affected by the fire said they have found ash settling on their balconies.
Firefighters, who have told the BBC they are "exhausted", appear to be focussing on hotspots rather than one major fire front.
Fire service spokesman Col Vassilios Vathrakogiannis said while there was no longer a single active fire front in the north-eastern Attica region, which includes parts of Athens, there were still "many active localised blazes", mostly around the towns of Marathon and Penteli.
Conditions for new fires remain dangerous not only on Tuesday, but also for further into the week, he said in a statement released on Monday evening.
More than 700 firefighters, 199 fire engines and 35 waterbombing aircraft have been involved in efforts to extinguish the fires, which first broke out on Sunday afternoon around 35km (22 miles) north of the Greek capital.
Col Vathrakogiannis said two firefighters had received treatment for burns while fighting the blazes.
Officials said fires broke out in 40 different locations on Monday and that some areas saw flames as high as 25m (82ft).
In unprecedented scenes, people in Athens wore facemasks to protect themselves from the smoke, which blew into the city.
Greece's National Observatory said on Monday evening satellite images showed that, by noon local time (10:00 BST), the fire had already affected around 100,000 acres (405 sq km; 156 sq miles) of land.
In Penteli, a wooded, hilly region, three hospitals had to be evacuated, and one of the sites of the National Observatory was at one stage feared to be under threat.
The blaze also engulfed a timber factory, and elsewhere in the area a number of explosions were heard, most likely from fuel tanks and residential gas cylinders.
Despite the danger, some Penteli residents chose to stay near their homes and tried to put out pockets of fire using hoses or tree branches.
"It hurts. We have grown up in the forest. We feel great sadness and anger," 24-year-old resident Marina Kalogerakou told Reuters news agency as she poured water from a bucket onto a burning tree stump.
Pantelis Kyriazis, another resident, crashed his car as he tried to leave.
"I couldn't see. I hit a pine tree and this is what happened," he said, gesturing towards the car.
Further north, near the epicentre of the fire, 81-year-old Vassilis Stroubelis stood in the doorway of his damaged home.
"Thirty years I was building all this. Thirty years and bam," he said.
European nations have announced assistance for Greece after its government activated the EU's mutual civil protection mechanism.
Italy is providing two planes while France and Serbia are providing one helicopter each, Col Vathrakogiannis said.
Spain, the Czech Republic and Romania are sending further vehicles, personnel, and aid.
Neighboring Turkey is also preparing to send two planes and a helicopter, Foreign Minister Öncü Keçeli said.
Writing on X, formerly Twitter, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said the EU would "stand with Greece as it battles devastating fires".
Greece has just experienced its hottest June and July on record.
Climate change increases the risk of the hot, dry weather that is likely to fuel wildfires.
The world has already warmed by about 1.1C since the industrial era began and temperatures will keep rising unless governments around the world make steep cuts to emissions. — BBC


Clic here to read the story from its source.