Czech Republic

Greek emergency services fought back Tuesday against a massive wildfire that scorched the Athens suburbs, killing a woman, causing widespread damage and sending thousands of people fleeing from their homes.

A fire department spokesperson told AFP that "pockets of flame" were being dealt with but there were no longer "areas of particular concern".

The European Commission has announced it is to mobilize emergency support to Greece and Albania, both of which have activated the EU Civil Protection Mechanism in response to severe wildfires.

Greek emergency services battled a massive wildfire threatening Athens for a third day on Tuesday as two firefighting planes and a helicopter sent by Türkiye joined efforts to fight the blazes.

Firefighters in Greece battled scattered fires as Tuesday broke, hoping to contain the remains of the major wildfire that burned into the northern suburbs of Athens, triggering evacuations and leaving at least one person dead.

Per capita real disposable income of Greek households shrunk 1.9% in the first quarter of 2024 compared to the final quarter of 2023, data released Monday by the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development show.

This is the greatest drop among the 38 OECD members, which, on average showed real per capita disposable incomes rising 0.9%.

A woman has tragically died in the recent fires that have reached the outskirts of Athens, Greece. Her body was discovered in a shop located in the Vrilissia district of the city.

“We stand by Greece as it battles devastating wildfires,” she wrote in a social media post.

She added: “The EU is sending support from its rescue fleet: two planes from Italy and a helicopter from France. Firefighting teams from the Czech Republic and Romania are also being deployed. This is EU solidarity in action.”

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen expressed solidarity with Greece as it battles a major wildfire in northeastern Attica.

In a post on platform X on Monday, she said, "We stand with Greece as it battles devastating fires," and announced that the EU is sending support from its rescEU fleet, including two planes from Italy and a helicopter from France.

The Greek authorities have requested assistance from the EU Civil Protection Mechanism (EUCPM) to fight the wildfires that have been raging northeast of Athens since Sunday.

On Monday, several countries responded positively to the Greek request, which was made on Sunday evening.

Bulgaria has become the EU member state most severely impacted by forest fires this year. According to the European Forest Fire Information System, over 38,000 hectares of land in Bulgaria have been burned so far, more than double the area affected in the previous year.