At least 74 dead as fires hit Athens, Greek resorts, arson suspected

[clapclapclap 9000]

Greece wildfires – 74 dead, 150 injured and ‘eight missing’ as apocalyptic wildfires near Athens burn families alive in their cars

AT least 74 people have been killed, 1,000 homes have been destroyed and more than 150 victims are injured after devastating wildfires ravaged holiday resorts in Greece.

The body of a six-month-old baby was pulled from the sea near the village of Mati, which is at the centre of the disaster, where 26 people were found dead in the garden of a villa, many of them families huddled tightly together hugging each other.

 

People have been told to leave their homes after high winds whipped up forest fires on either side of Athens, burning homes and turning the sky over the capital a hazy orange from the smoke.

Officials are using US military drones “to observe and detect any suspicious activity” after it emerged that 15 of the blazes broke out at the same time in different locations outside Athens.

This comes amid growing speculation that the infernos may be the result of arson, reports local news outlet Ekathimerini.

One of the deadly fires started about 30 miles west of Athens in Kineta, while the other, which broke out Monday from as-yet-undetermined causes, is in Mati which is northeast of the capital near Rafina.

The fires spread rapidly into packed tourists areas in popular holiday seaside areas, trapped those who were in their cars or homes.

The mayor of Rafina, Vangelis Bournos told SKA that 1,000 homes had been destroyed by the ferocious blaze while later adding that he hopes the death toll would not reach "three digits".

Speaking with Sky News, Greece's interior minister Panos Skourletis described the fires as a "national tragedy" and a "biblical disaster with human losses."

Nikos Economopoulos, head of Greece’s Red Cross, told Skai TV about the 26 bodies found in the garden of a villa in Mati.

He said: “They had tried to find an escape route but unfortunately these people and their kids didn’t make it in time."

The coastguard said the bodies of four people had been retrieved from the sea off Mati this morning.

One of the youngest victims was thought to be a six-month-old baby who died of smoke inhalation.

Police said they found two Danish tourists in a boat off the coast from Rafina. Another eight people from the group were still missing.

Mayor Bournos said he hoped the death toll would not exceed 100.

He said: "There are more dead people than announced, I can confirm that.

“The destruction is biblical. More than a thousand buildings have been burned. I am really worried, I don't want to imagine we have so many dead.

“I hope that we won't reach a three digit number."

Officials confirmed that more than 300 vehicles were destroyed by the flames.

Bournos added: "How can you search a thousand houses? The fire was out of control due to the strong winds and reached the sea within half an hour.

“We limited the damage but we couldn't prevent it.

“Fifty per cent of the beach are of Kokkino Limanaki has been burnt, Mati by 98 per cent.

“My own house got burnt and my family was in danger. My cars were burnt. The situation is out of control."

One woman told Greece's Skai TV: "Mati doesn't even exist as a settlement anymore. I saw corpses, burned-out cars. I feel lucky to be alive."

Some parts of village were still smouldering white smoke early on Tuesday and burned-out cars were scattered outside gated compounds. (snip)

Edited July 24, 2018 by clapclapclap

[huge 3809]

well that's fucking awful

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http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-5984481/At-seven-dead-huge-forest-fires-destroy-homes-vehicles-Greek-holiday-resorts.html

...Ten tourists drowned when a boat capsized trying to rescue them from gale-driven forest fires which have killed at least 74 in Greece and which may have been started deliberately.

...the 'lightning quick fire' swept from the hillsides to the sea in less than ten minutes.  

...A mass evacuation was launched with military vessels, a flotilla of private boats and army helicopters mobilised to rescue those who fled to the harbour in Rafina, while many waited in the sea to be rescued. 

VICTIMS FLEE FROM FIRE - ONLY TO BE SWEPT OUT TO SEA

A survivor has given a dramatic account of how he fled from the fire, swimming into the sea to escape the flames and choking smoke only to get swept away by the current. 

He was rescued by a fishing boat but saw other members of his group drown.

Nikos Stavrinidis had gone to his summer home in the Mati area near Rafina with his wife to prepare it for his student daughter who was coming to stay. Before he knew it, the fire surrounded him.

'It happened very fast. The fire was in the distance, then sparks from the fire reached us. Then the fire was all around us,' Stavrinidis told The Associated Press.

'We ran to the sea. We had to swim out because of the smoke, but we couldn't see where anything was,' he said.

There were six people in his group: Stavrinidis, his wife and some of her friends. They swam further out to escape the smoke, but as they did so, they began to be carried away by the wind and the current. They lost sight of the shore and became disoriented. 'We couldn't see anything,' he said.

Gale-force winds fanning the flames in the area also hampered firefighting efforts and whipped up the seas.

'We didn't all make it,' Stavrinidis said. One of the women in his group and one woman's son drowned.

'What upsets me and what I will carry in my heart is that it is terrible to see the person next to you drowning and not be able to help him. You can't. That's the only tragic thing,' he said, his voice breaking. 'That will stay with me.'

Stavrinidis says he believes they were in the water for about two hours before being picked up by a fishing boat with an Egyptian crew.

'I'm grateful to all of them,' he said. 'They jumped into the sea with their clothes still on. They made us tea and kept us warm. They were great.'

[Zepol87 9300]

Holy shit. That is horrible

[Pato del Muerto 53162]

Blast furnace thread?

[Sandman 3424]

My great grandfather came over from Greece, so this hits close to my ancestral home.

[phdhorn 6224]

Wow, guess this adds new meaning to "Greek Fire."

I've been on that highway a number of times from Athens to Corinth.  Wowee.

[MNLonghornFUKM 8947]

Blast furnace thread?

Greece: hold my beer

[SDG 3319]

Damn, that’s a lot of destruction.  That poor dog.  

[Wally Fairway 5639]

14 minutes ago, MNLonghornFUKM said:

37 minutes ago, Pato del Muerto said:

Blast furnace thread?

Greece: hold my ouzo

fify

[Orca of Peace 109]

man, swept out to sea? This isn't a mere large fire, but an apocalypse 

[bernorange 8378]

2 hours ago, clapclapclap said:

... 'What upsets me and what I will carry in my heart is that it is terrible to see the person next to you drowning and not be able to help him. You can't. That's the only tragic thing,' he said, his voice breaking. 'That will stay with me.' ...

Damn.  That's hard core.

[RPM 26470]

They were just trying to signal Wonder Woman.

[staboner 5060]

i would surprised if there isn't a public hanging for this. according to my family there this is a common tactic for some looking to gain resources and control of the forests. i don't know how much i believe that exact story but i definitely believe its arson and its something political/land control type of thing. might also be deliberate at folks on holiday / rich folks at their summer homes

and they are beyond pissed off. and just missed my family that is on holiday there by like 20 miles. been on whatsapp all damn day over this. 

not cool. 

Edited July 24, 2018 by staboner

[52-80 19360]

I flew into Athens today, so this hits close to hotel.

Can't even fathom how fucking terrifying it is to be fleeing from that, or how rapidly it swept through to take down so many people.  

TV coverage showed tons of cars charred up, and they blurred the window frame so you can imagine what's inside.  

May those arsonists rot in their head before they get busted

[Wally Fairway 5639]

Flyover video of some of the damage (can't embed BBC video)

https://www.bbc.com/news/av/world-europe-44947962/greece-wildfires-aerial-view-of-destruction

and this one

 

 

Edited July 25, 2018 by Wally Fairway

[Shmitty 112]

Hearing of those 26 people dying in a huddle, it boggles my mind how they were not able to flee or get out of the way somehow.  Just trying to wrap my mind around how they were trapped.