‘A major wildfire spread to the fringes of Athens amid tinderbox conditions (Picture: Roberta Kapsalis)
A resident who watched the major Greek wildfire creep towards her home has told of feeling ‘like the end of the world is just beyond our doorstep.’
Thousands of people have been evacuated from their homes after flames rising as high as 80ft rapidly spread to the suburbs of Athens.
The fire travelled quickly as it was propelled by strong winds, prolonged dryness and the country’s hottest June and July on record.
More than 700 firefighters, who have been working through exhaustion, as well as soldiers, volunteers and 119 vehicles have been involved in bringing the flames under control.
The body of a woman was found inside an industrial building shortly after midnight in an area that had been under evacuation orders.
Huge clouds of smoke rise into the sky near the home of Roberta Kapsalis (Picture: Roberta Kapsalis)
Several thousand residents of the historic town of Marathon, which has been evacuated, are facing a ‘biblical catastrophe’, the mayor Stergios Tsirkas warned.
Roberta Kapsalis, who lives in Schinias, within a national park in the municipality of Marathon, told Metro.co.uk what it was like watching the flames approach.
Roberta, originally from Mostar, Herzegovina, who lives with her Greek husband, Apollonas, said: ‘The fire has been nothing short of a nightmare, a real-life “Apocalypse Now”.
‘Watching this massive blaze approach has been surreal, like something out of a dark fantasy.
‘The sight of the flames consuming everything in their path, inching closer and closer, has felt like a slow-motion horror movie.
An ominous grey and orange sky forms the backdrop to the Parthenon (Picture: Angelos Tzortzinis/AFP)
‘It reminded me vividly of the scenes from The Lord of the Rings when Sauron’s ominous presence looms over Middle-Earth, with his fiery eye burning in the sky.’
Roberta, a freelance graphic artist, illustrator and writer, captured the scene from the couple’s balcony as the heat and flames approached their home yesterday.
‘The smoke and ash have filled the air,’ she said.
‘The hills, once green and alive, now glow with an unnatural red hue, creating an atmosphere that feels like the end of the world is just beyond our doorstep.
‘It’s a haunting experience, watching something so destructive and unstoppable, knowing that all you can do is wait and hope for the best.’
The view from Roberta Kapsalis’ balcony in the treasured Marathon district near Athens (Picture: Roberta Kapsalis)
Roberta told Metro.co.uk that the ‘unique and beautiful’ national park was under special protection, with ‘vigilant efforts’ from the fire service to prevent the blaze from reaching the area.
‘Despite this, we can see the ominous glow of the fires in the surrounding hills and the nearby village of Marathon, a stark reminder of the ongoing danger,’ she said.
‘It’s a tense and uncertain time, but we are thankful for the tireless work being done to safeguard our community.’
An apocalyptic scene as firefighters try to extinguish a blaze in Dionysos on August 12 (Picture: Reuters)
Volunteers tackle a fire in a shop in the Vrilissia suburb of Athens (Picture: Dimitris Aspiotis/Shutterstock)
Volunteers stand in front of a small pocket of fire near Penteli (Picture: Angelos Tzortzinis/AFP via Getty)
The couple has packed essential items and documents and is monitoring the fire’s progress and staying in constant communication with local authorities and their neighbours.
They live 20km from the seaside village of Mati, where a devastating fire in 2018 claimed more than 100 lives in a tragedy that still weighs heavy in the collective memory.
‘The firefighters are true heroes, putting themselves in harm’s way to protect our communities,’ Roberta said.
‘Their bravery and dedication are inspiring, and it’s clear that every possible resource is being used to prevent another tragedy like Mati’s.
‘The Greek people have shown incredible resilience, acting with a spirit reminiscent of the Phoenix from mythology. Just as the Phoenix rises from its ashes, I believe that everything lost will be reborn, rebuilt, and regrown, as long as human lives are saved.
‘The material damage can be repaired in time, but the preservation of life is what truly matters. This collective determination to protect one another is what gives me hope, even in these dark times.’
Firefighters work amid smoke and heat in the Patima Halandri suburb of Athens (Picture: EPA)
Burned cars outside a damaged factory following a wildfire in the Penteli area near Athens (Picture: Reuters)
Firefighters and locals are silhouetted as a wildfire burns on the island of Evia on July 29 (Picture: Reuters)
The wildfire began on Sunday afternoon near Lake Marathon, about 22 miles (35km) north-east of Athens.
While the blaze is no longer advancing, emergency crews are in a race against time to bring the situation under control, with winds predicted to pick up again this afternoon.
Firefighters are working to extinguish pockets of slow-burning fires in hundreds of areas.
Winds fanning the flames over the past two days had dropped off overnight but are predicted to reach between 37-43mph per hour this afternoon.
‘Firefighters have been working at full tilt for months,’ said Nikos Lavranos, head of Greece’s main firefighters’ union. ‘They are exhausted.’
The inferno followed two of the hottest months ever recorded in Greece, as well as the warmest winter ever.
The latest devastation follows a series of major fires in Greece, including amid extreme heat on the island of Rhodes just over a year ago.
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