File photo.
Firefighters battled a wildfire Monday in low vegetation near Kouvaras, a town in eastern Attica, as authorities ordered residents of a nearby settlement to evacuate.
A total of 172 firefighters, including four specialized teams trained to operate on foot in difficult terrain, were deployed to the blaze, along with 41 vehicles and volunteers. The force included 23 firefighters with four vehicles from France and 24 firefighters with five vehicles from Romania, who are in Greece as part of a European program that stations firefighters in the country during the summer wildfire season.
Four helicopters and two firefighting aircraft were also deployed, with one helicopter assigned to coordinate the aerial operation.
At 8.30 a.m., Greece’s emergency services issued an alert ordering residents in and around the Agios Stylianos settlement near Kouvaras to move toward Kalyvia Thorikou, a town farther south, closer to the coast.
