One person has died in a fire that broke out in the suburbs of Athensin Greece. The body, believed to be that of a woman, was found inside a shop in the town of Vrilissia, north of the Greek capital, a fire brigade source told the BBC. Thousands of people have been evacuated after authorities raised the alarm: homes, businesses and schools are at risk and fires are expected to continue today.
Fire brigade spokesman Colonel Vassilios Vathrakogiannis said that while there is no longer a single active fire front in the northeastern Attica region, which includes parts of Athens, there are “many active localised fires” still present, especially around the towns of Marathon and Penteli. In a statement released late Tuesday, he added that conditions for new fires would remain dangerous not only today, but throughout the week.
More than 700 firefighters, 199 fire engines and 35 aircraft were deployed to put out the blaze, which broke out on Sunday afternoon about 35 km north of Athens. At least two firefighters were injured.
Authorities said they are fires broke out in 40 different locations and in some areas the flames reached a height of 25 meters.
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