Try GOLD - Free
'Superhuman effort' Greece counts the cost after wildfires around Athens are put out
The Guardian
|August 14, 2024
Greek authorities are continuing to battle fires outside Athens as officials take stock of the damage wreaked by a disaster that forced mass evacuations and killed at least one person.
Yesterday, the third day of one of the worst wildfires in living memory, firefighters were helped by a drop in winds as they sought to contain remnants of an inferno that reached the city's northern suburbs and ruined homes and businesses.
"Forty hours after this extremely dangerous wildfire broke out we can now say that there is no active front, only scattered hotspots," said Greece's climate crisis and civil protection minister, Vassilis Kikilias.
More than 700 firefighters, backed by water-bombing planes, forest commando units, the police, army, forest service employees and volunteers, had helped put out the blazes.
"[They] fought the fire in northeastern Attica with superhuman effort," Kikilias added. "We're not talking about a simple fire that simply got out of control. We are talking about the most difficult and most dangerous scenario."
This story is from the August 14, 2024 edition of The Guardian.
Subscribe to Magzter GOLD to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 10,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber? Sign In
MORE STORIES FROM The Guardian
The Guardian
Check it out How chess has made a move into clubland
One of the liveliest spots on a Tuesday night in Brick Lane, east London, isn't a restaurant or a streetwear pop-up, it's a chess club - or chess club/ nightclub hybrid, to be exact.
3 mins
November 04, 2025
The Guardian
Image of rare white Iberian lynx captured by amateur photographer
An amateur photographer in southern Spain has captured images of a white Iberian lynx, prompting researchers to investigate whether environmental factors could be at play as wildlife watchers revelled in the rare sighting.
1 mins
November 04, 2025
The Guardian
'I love Leeds, but the club couldn't afford for me to stay'
Mark Viduka, 25 years on from four goals against Liverpool, on a journey taking in civil war and owning a coffee shop
5 mins
November 04, 2025
The Guardian
Apec summit Xi shows his lighter side with phone gag
It would take someone with nerves of steel to joke about the security of Chinese smartphones in front of Xi Jinping.
2 mins
November 04, 2025
The Guardian
'We need a bit of help' Frank urges Spurs fans to hold boos and carry team forwards
Thomas Frank has called for better support from the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium crowd after revealing that Micky van de Ven and Djed Spence had apologised to him for their reaction to the 1-0 home defeat against Chelsea on Saturday.
3 mins
November 04, 2025
The Guardian
Reeves paves way for tax-raising budget with 'tough choices' talk
Chancellor to give candid speech amid pressure to break manifesto pledge
3 mins
November 04, 2025
The Guardian
Farage backtracks on promise to cut £9obn of taxes as spotlight falls on Reform's credibility
Nigel Farage yesterday retreated from his party's election manifesto promise to cut £90bn of taxes, accusing Labour and the Tories of \"wrecking the public finances\" and saying Reform UK would need to get public spending under control first.
3 mins
November 04, 2025
The Guardian
AstraZeneca's Wall Street move drives a coach and horses through stamp duty regime
It was one of those votes where the majority was always going to be huge.
2 mins
November 04, 2025
The Guardian
Power play Fixation on forward rotation risks rugby clashes turning into damp squibs
There was a time in rugby union when the phrase \"Bomb Squad\" felt novel.
3 mins
November 04, 2025
The Guardian
Attenborough nature series reels in viewers using tricks of TV dramas like Adolescence
David Attenborough's BBC series Kingdom has broken new ground by using the tricks of TV dramas such as Adolescence to immerse viewers in the action with cliffhangers and moving camera shots.
3 mins
November 04, 2025
Listen
Translate
Change font size