Wildfires continued to rage out of control in Viotia and western Attica on Saturday, destroying homes, forcing evacuations and leaving residents describing scenes of widespread devastation as strong winds hampered firefighting efforts.
In Porto Germeno, a coastal town on the Gulf of Corinth in western Attica, about 70 kilometers (43 miles) west of Athens, firefighters were battling three separate fronts: one inside a pine forest, another moving toward the Agia Paraskevi area and a third toward Mytikas. Twelve people were evacuated by boat from a nearby beach early Saturday, authorities said.
“Porto Germeno has been completely burned. There are dead animals on the roads, rocks have fallen onto the roads. Everything has burned,” a volunteer firefighter told state broadcaster ERT.
Another volunteer firefighter described a wall of flames reaching 20 to 30 meters (65 to 100 feet) high. “There was no way out. We thought it could become like Mati,” he said, referring to the deadly 2018 wildfire near Athens that killed more than 100 people.
“Forget what you knew. Everything is going up in smoke,” a resident told Open TV, adding that many homes were completely destroyed while others suffered severe damage.
