The wildfires ravaging Attica have reached alarming proportions, with the fire front now spanning over 51 kilometres, according to NASA’s Fire Information for Resource Management System (FIRMS). The system, which provides near real-time satellite data on active fires worldwide, indicated that the scale of the blaze in Attica is among the most extensive currently burning.
The fire, which ignited around noon yesterday in Varnava, has rapidly spread across northeastern Attica. By Monday afternoon, it continued to burn uncontrollably, with the flames advancing through areas including Penteli, Nea Makri, and Grammatiko.
Vassilis Kikilias, the Minister for Climate Crisis and Civil Protection, identified the main fire fronts as being in Grammatiko and Kallitechnopolis, while noting some improvement in Varnava, Dionysos, and Mikrohori. “The response by both ground and air units to the initial outbreak in Varnava was immediate. The first aerial unit was deployed within just five minutes, as it was already airborne on a loaded patrol, and ground forces arrived within seven minutes,” Kikilias asserted. However, opposition parties have criticised the government’s response, accusing it of engaging in “panic exercises” and failing to adequately manage the crisis.
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