Hospital evacuated after wildfire breaks out in Greece

Bystanders flee as a wildfire burns next to a hospital near Patras on Jul. 9, 2024. (AFP)

• Patients were transported to other facilities elsewhere in Greece’s third city
• Residents in three areas of Patras — located in the Peloponnese region — left their homes and took refuge in the city center, civil protection officials said on X

ATHENS: A wildfire fueled by strong winds broke out in the Greek port city of Patras on Tuesday, authorities said, forcing a children’s hospital and residents of several localities to evacuate.
Patients were transported to other facilities elsewhere in Greece’s third city as 95 firefighters, 25 vehicles and water bombers battled the blaze, which was put under control on Tuesday evening.
“The evacuation went quickly. All the children in the hospital were transferred to other hospitals in the city,” paediatrician Thanasis Filias told public broadcaster ERT.
Residents in three areas of Patras — located in the Peloponnese region — left their homes and took refuge in the city center, civil protection officials said on X.
Greek Civil Protection Minister Vassilis Kikilias said on X that the “very dangerous fire” had been controlled in two hours.
Other regions issued wildfire warnings as Greece faces what Kikilias has said is its “worst wildfire season in 20 years.”
Besides the children’s hospital, a retirement home and a medical center also had to be evacuated as a result.
Later Tuesday, fire brigade spokesman Vassilis Vathrakogiannis told ERT that no houses were threatened by the flames.
“The front and its momentum have been contained,” he said.
Also speaking on ERT, Patras Mayor Kostas Peletidis likewise said that the situation was improving while cautioning that “it’s not over, of course.”
Other wildfires broke out across Greece Tuesday, spurred by high winds and soaring temperatures.
The National Observatory of Athens recorded 37 degrees Celsius (98 degrees Fahrenheit) in the region of Attica, which wraps around Athens.
Authorities warned against a “very high risk” of wildfires in six regions Wednesday, including in central Greece, Peloponnese, Attica and northeastern Aegean Sea islands like Lesbos.
Parts of the country will see temperatures exceed 40 degrees Celsius (104 degrees Fahrenheit) with peaks at 41-42C (106-108F) and 39-49 kilometer per hour winds (24-30 miles per hour), according to weather forecaster Meteo.gr.
Strong winds and drought conditions have fanned fires in recent weeks in the area around Athens, on the island of Chios near the Turkish mainland and in Peloponnese.
While June temperatures in Greece normally do not surpass 31C, the country recorded in 2024 its hottest June since 1960, experts have said.
Scientists say climate change makes extreme weather events including heatwaves more likely, longer-lasting and more intense.