ATHENS – A fire broke out at 4:00am on Saturday very close to the northern suburbs of Athens, in the area of Afidnai. The morning found the sky of Attica covered in black smoke while the smell of fire is present in many areas of Athens.
There are about 200 firefighters and 50 vehicles on the ground. As daylight is becoming available fire planes are expected to start operating momentarily.
Strong winds quickly spread the fire which is threatening houses. The flames have also reached the walls of a local army base. The Athens-Lamia national road has been closed at the area of Afidnai.
Witnesses talking to Skai TV, said that before the fire broke out several explosions took place, something that has made the Greek authorities believe that arsonists started the fire.
Major wildfires had been raging for days across Greece for the past week. Forest fires are frequently present during Greece’s long hot summers, but the country has seen hundreds of blazes in recent weeks.
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