Aug. 17 2021 Wildfires broke out in the Keratea region southeast of Athens on Aug. 16, local time, the Greek-Greek Times reported. Authorities sent dozens of firefighters, 25 fire engines, six sprinklers and four helicopters to help, and an elderly woman with a disability went missing in the fire.
Due to the rapid fire, authorities issued an alert to people around the fire site via emergency number 112, asking for emergency evacuation to a safe area. Three settlements, Markati, Synterina and Agios Konstantinos, were evacuated and traffic was disrupted in the surrounding area.
At least ten houses were reported to have been damaged in the fire. Investigators are trying to determine the cause of the fire, which a local official said did not rule out was caused by man-made arson.
In addition to the Keletea area, fires also broke out in Villa in the Attica region. According to the fire brigade, 24 firefighters and two fire engines were sent to the scene to fight the fire, while two helicopters and two sprinklers were also in the air to help put out the fire.
In early August, a fire broke out in a forest near the suburb of Varimbombi, north of Athens. At one point the fire got out of control and it took the fire department several days to put it out.
