Athens
08
06
2022
COMMUNITY / ENVIRONMENT

Satellite images: Fire in seaside suburbs burnt 430 hectares

The wildfire that swept through the Athens beachfront suburbs of Glyfada, Voula and Vari last weekend has shown to have burnt 432.2 hectares of land, according to a report by the EU's Copernicus Emergency Management Service - Mapping on Tuesday, using dat
The wildfire that swept through the Athens beachfront suburbs of Glyfada, Voula and Vari last weekend has shown to have burnt 432.2 hectares of land, according to a report by the EU's Copernicus Emergency Management Service - Mapping on Tuesday, using dat

The service was activated by the Hellenic General Secretariat for Civil Protection planning and emergency response directorate, as soon as the fire was contained, in order to get a precise estimate of the damage.

Of the areas burnt, some 300 hectares were reforested land that had been replanted with trees in the 1970s, following a great fire in 1974 that had burnt the entire southern flank of Mount Hymettus. The rest had also been reforested in the past but had been incinerated again multiple times, so that the vegetation was mostly low.

Estimates of the damage, especially to buildings and infrastructure, are also being carried out by the fire brigade and local authority services door-to-door.

As of now, it appears that 11 buildings have sustained damage, mostly to their exterior, while in one the fire entered the house on both floors and in another it burnt the roof. 1 car and 1 motorbike were completely destroyed and 2 more cars suffered fire damage.