Firefighters battle huge Penteli fire front all night, settlements evacuated, homes destroyed

Firefighters, accompanied by army contingents and police are struggling throughout the night with a huge wildfire front from Penteli, north of Athens, to Drafi, that broke out this afternoon in the Daou area of Penteli.

Four local settlements – Drafi, Anthousa, Dioni, and Dasamari –  were evacuated after residents were sent an SMS from the emergency 112 line.

Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis at his office until the night was briefed of developments in a teleconference with officials at the civil protection ministry’s operations centre, and is being continually briefed, ERT state television reported.

Αt the Penteli Children’s Hospital 21 children and 19 doctors and healthcare workers were evacuated at 21:00 and taken to Athens’ Aglaia Kyriakou Children’s Hospital.

Between Penteli and Drafi, where a number of houses have been consumed by the flames, with the fire having spread to the Agios Petros and Drafi areas shortly before midnight, and with strong, 7 Beaufort winds winds contributing to the spread of the fire and the creation of new loci, an enormous operation with 420 firefighters, comprised of 18 ground contingents, and 55 fire trucks will be fighting the inferno throughout the night.

There are meteorological projections that the wind force may reach 9-10 Beaufort in the morning.

Water planes and helicopters, which operated until 20:30 when the force of winds grew stronger, will be sent out at dawn, between 5:30 and 6:00.

Romanian firefighters have been called in and have joined the battle against the blaze, just as they had in the enormous August, 2021, wildfires.

The Attica Prefecture has provided water tank vehicles.

There have been no reports of injuries or breathing problems to the 122 emergency line.

Fifteen elderly people were evacuated in one area and a priest elsewhere, while an animal shelter was also evacuated.

Fire service officials interviewed by ERT said they could not announce the number of houses destroyed or largely damaged, before tomorrow morning.

Greek Police sent 282 policemen and 90 police vehicles to assist in the evacuation of residents.

Police have also apprehended an undisclosed number individuals driving in cars through the area as suspect of planning to pillage houses abandoned by owners.

Army vehicles are trying to open paths to facilitate the approach of fire trucks.