Varnavas

With the facts on the ground thus far indicating that this year has also been exceptionally severe, the fires will continue to be of concern until the season is over.

The Greek Archdiocese of America has decided to establish a Relief Fund to support the people affected by the recent mega-fire in northeastern Greece.

Greece said on Tuesday it would offer emergency compensation totalling millions of euros to hundreds of households and businesses affected by a blaze that killed one woman and torched 10,000 hectares near Athens.

One of my favorite pastimes is to photograph the countryside, forests and greenery near the city in the phase of regeneration following a large blaze. Few things are more beautiful in this life than the image of a cluster of small pines emerging where only a few months ago ash and burnt trees remained.

The repercussions of the fires that have wreaked havoc in recent years in Attica will include reduced water, increased pollution, less biodiversity and a compromised forest ecosystem.

Investigators suspect a faulty power cable may have caused Greece's worst wildfire this year, said sources close to a probe over the blaze that killed one woman and torched 10,000 hectares near Athens, covering a total area about the size of Paris.

Authorities are currently investigating the circumstances under which the large fire in northeastern Attica began.

According to well-informed sources, the most likely scenario being considered is that the fire was caused by a short circuit in power lines in the Varnavas area.

Disturbing results emerge from the updated analysis of the burnt areas from forest fires of the last 8 years (2017-present) in the continental part of the Attica Region.

Between 2017 and 13 August 2024, 13 major wildfires have burned more than 700,000 acres according to reports from the Copernicus Rapid Mapping Service and the European Forest Fire Observatory (EFFIS).

The smoke caused by the fire which broke out in Varnavas on Sunday afternoon in Varnava and quickly spread throughout northeast Attica, reaching toxic levels in the atmosphere, with an adverse impact on the health of people with pulmonary issues.

The largest wildfire to hit Greece this year raged for a second day on Monday, spreading to the suburbs of Athens, displacing hundreds of residents, burning cars, houses and trees in its wake and enveloping the city with smoke and ash.