Major fire in Greece extinguished after extensive damage

A major wildfire that erupted on Sunday and spread over 30 km to reach the northeastern suburbs of the Greek capital has been contained and its remnants extinguished on Wednesday, leaving one dead and causing significant damage, reported Xinhua, quoting local authorities.

With strong winds that fueled the fire dying down, most of the fronts had eased, but officials warned against complacency.

A 60-year-old woman who was working in a small factory in Chalandri, a suburb in northern Athens, lost her life in the flames. Her body was retrieved by firefighters early Tuesday, said Greece's Fire Brigade. The Fire Brigade dismissed claims of a person missing in the area a day ago.

At least 66 people have been treated for injuries, authorities said. Five firefighters have been hurt.

The wildfire destroyed dozens of houses, cars and businesses. Approximately 100 houses were damaged.

Vasso Toumbeki, a resident of Chalandri, told Xinhua that the entire neighborhood is covered in ashes, the slope of Penteli Mountain has turned black, and people are homeless and in despair.

The European Union's Copernicus Emergency Management Service said that by Monday the blaze had burned 8,500 hectares (21,000 acres, or 85 square km). The number later rose to around 10,000 hectares, according to Greece's National Observatory.

On Monday, the Labor Ministry banned outdoor working in affected areas due to the toxic chemicals in the air caused by burnt factories.

Scientists had also reported an alarming rise in hazardous airborne particles, particularly from Sunday night to Monday night.

The wildfire began on Sunday afternoon near the historic town of Marathon, the birthplace of the Marathon race, about 40 km northeast of downtown Athens.

On Monday, three hospitals, including a children's hospital, two monasteries, and a children's home were evacuated.

Sports halls including the Athens Olympic Stadium were set aside to shelter the homeless.

The thousands of residents who had been evacuated didn't start returning to their homes until Tuesday.

The cause of the fire is still unclear. Two teenagers were arrested Monday for allegedly deliberately setting a fire in the southern Athens suburb of Glyfada. The fire was quickly extinguished. The Kathimerini newspaper reported that a broken electricity pylon may have triggered the fire on Sunday afternoon.

Greece's government was criticized by the press, public and political rivals over the fire.

On Tuesday evening, around 200 people demonstrated outside parliament, claiming the government was responsible for the fire.

The country just experienced its hottest June and July on record. It faces thousands of wildfires each summer, and climate change seems to be triggering more and larger blazes.

Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis said the conditions of wildfires in Greece are becoming "more difficult" after an emergency cabinet meeting on Tuesday. He returned early from holiday on Sunday to tackle the crisis.

Greece remains on high fire alert until Thursday, with temperatures forecast to hit 40 degrees Celsius (104 degrees Fahrenheit).

Three people have lost their lives in wildfires so far this year in the country. The death toll was 20 last year and over 100 in 2018 when a major wildfire swept through Mati, a seaside resort near Marathon.

The Europan Union's Civil Protection Mechanism has been activated multiple times this summer to help European countries, including Portugal, Greece, and Albania, tackle severe wildfires.