Greece wildfires – latest maps: Athens threatened by fires and power cuts as warning issued to tourists

As wildfires rage through mainland Greece, prospective travellers may be worried about how this will impact their holiday plans.

A spokesperson for Jet2 told The Independent: “Our flight schedule to and from Athens is currently operating as normal however we continue to closely monitor the situation and the advice of the relevant authorities. The safety and wellbeing of our passengers and crew is easyJet’s highest priority.”

Ryanair confirmed it is operating as usual and will follow guidance from local authorities.

The Independent has reached out to British Airways and EasyJet for comment.

Greece’s coast guard ordered all ferries going to and from the nearby port of Rafina, which serves mainly the Cycladic islands and Crete, to be diverted to the port of Lavrion due to the fire.

Meteorologists and government officials have warned of the heightened danger of wildfires because of weather conditions from Sunday until Thursday, with half of the country placed under a “red alert” for wildfire hazard.

Several other countries have agreed to send support to Greece as it tackles a huge widfire threatening Athens.

Authorities said The General Secretariat of Civil Protection initiated the activation of the European Civil Protection Mechanism (UCPM) with a request to provide air and ground assistance to deal with the incidents.

So far, the following have responded to the Greek request:

• France, with the shipment of one Super Puma type helicopter, which is expected to arrive this evening.
• Italy, with the dispatch of two Canadair firefighting aircraft, which are expected to arrive tomorrow morning.
• The Czech Republic, sending 75 firefighters and 25 vehicles, of which 9 are waterborne, expected to arrive tomorrow.
• Assistance from Spain and Turkey is also expected.
• Romania already have firefighters on the ground.

The Independent’s Rich Booth reports from Greece:

Power cuts have been reported in several areas of Athens and also affected traffic lights at major junctions in the centre, according to Associated Press.

At least 25 areas were forced to evacuate residents, government officials said, along with at least three hospitals, and power cuts occurred in parts of the wider Athens region.

Police had so far helped evacuate more than 250 people, and some residents spent the night in shelters.

As a phalanx of flames closed in on backyards on the outskirts of Athens, some residents in Penteli stayed put, trying to put out pockets of fire using hoses or tree branches as smoke swirled around them.

Pantelis Kyriazis, crashed his car as he tried to escape the encroaching flames. “I couldn’t see, I hit a pine tree and this is what happened,” he told news agency Reuters, gesturing towards his damaged car and nursing a bleeding elbow.

The US Embassy in Athens has put out a warning urging travellers to “exercise extreme caution in affected areas”.

The American mission said: “The General Secretariat for Civil Protection has announced Very High Fire Risk (Risk Category 4) and Extreme Fire Risk (Risk Category 5) for many areas in Greece, including areas close to Athens.

“Wildfires may create additional disruptions in the wider areas, such as power and/or water outages, poor air quality, and road closures.

“If you receive an order to evacuate (including via smartphone emergency alert message), follow the Greek authorities’ evacuation orders immediately.”