Athens : Greek and Polish firefighters managed to protect a village and rescue its inhabitants from a wildfire that has been burning for days west of Athens and had been further fuelled by a shift in the wind direction.
The emergency crews saved the 3,000 people who live in the village of Vilia, according to Greek radio, which described the fire brigade’s success in a report late Wednesday.
“We hope to bring the fires under control today,” said regional Governor Giorgos Patoulis.
On Wednesday, the wind shifted, fanning the flames from the mountains nearby so that a wall of fire threatened to engulf the village.
On Thursday, several helicopters and firefighting planes battled to contain the flames from dawn.
The fire is proving difficult to extinguish, however, according to Minister for Citizen Protection Michalis Chrysochoidis, as there are no roads or routes through the dense pine forests in the region’s high mountains for firefighters and their vehicles to access the fires.
