Spanish
Athens, July 3 (EFE).- A large forest fire that broke out this Thursday on the outskirts of Athens has forced local authorities to order the evacuation of more than 1,200 people, while its dense smoke prevented planes from taking off at the Greek capital's international airport for a few hours.
The fire broke out today near the coastal town of Rafina, located about 20 kilometers east of the Greek capital.
So far, authorities have ordered the evacuation of four nearby towns, including the settlement of Imeros Pefkos, located about 5 kilometers north of Athens International Airport.
Some 170 firefighters with 48 vehicles are battling the flames, while 14 planes and 7 tanker helicopters are dropping large amounts of water in an attempt to extinguish the fire, which is burning in an area with several scattered houses, a spokesman for the Fire Department told EFE.
According to the deputy mayor of the municipality of Rafina, Charalambos Zafiropoulos, at least five houses have burned down.
The Police launched an operation to rescue nine people who are trapped, reported the General Directorate of Police of Ethics. Previously, another 30 people had already been rescued.
For a few hours, the dense smoke caused the closure of a runway at Athens International Airport and delays to several flights, although around 17:00 local time (14:00 GMT) operations were restored, reported the newspaper newsit.gr.
Fueled by strong winds, the fire that broke out on the outskirts of Rafina spread westward, burning the local vegetation (low).
Meanwhile, on the Greek island of Crete, more than 200 firefighters and 10 water-bombing helicopters continue to battle another large forest fire that forced the evacuation of nine coastal towns and more than 5,000 people, mostly tourists.
"The situation has improved and small pockets of fire are being fought, while there is no active front," another fire department spokesperson told EFE.
Four people have been hospitalized with respiratory problems due to this fire in Crete.
Also, in several cases, the intervention of the authorities was necessary to rescue people who were trapped in their homes. Another 65 firefighters with 19 vehicles and three water-bombing aircraft are battling near the village of Larimna, in central Greece, against another fire that does not currently threaten populated areas. Greek firefighters have been battling dozens of fires that break out daily for days. Many of them are spreading, driven by strong winds and a heat wave that swept through the country last week and has completely dried out the vegetation.
