希臘‧恐蔓延雅典‧全國進緊急狀態‧希臘林火危及名鎮 Hundreds flee wildfire burning homes near Athens

（希臘‧雅典）希臘發生特大森林火災，已蔓延至首都雅典北部的歷史名鎮馬拉松，當局擔心蔓延雅典，上週六（8月22日）宣佈全國進入緊急狀態。

這是2007年以來希臘發生的最大火災，至今有70個火頭。大火一度蔓延10公里，濃煙甚至吹到了雅典。

接70宗報告疑有人縱火

有報導說，自上週五（8月21日）晚間，希臘全國接到70宗火災報告，其中有些被懷疑是因為有人縱火造成的。

林火危及雅典郊區的數十間民宅，消防員已緊急疏散參加夏令營的孩童，以及協助年邁災民撤離。儘管消防人員呼吁人們迅速撤離，但許多人卻留在家中決定與火神抗戰，保護家園。

大火上週五晚在雅典東北部40公里的格蘭瑪迪科村莊燒起，隨即蔓延到附近的住宅區，上週六中午火勢宣告失控。

消防隊已趕往現場灌救，軍隊也奉命加入滅火行動。

目擊者說，居民們嘗試使用鏟子、水喉和水桶等工具滅火，搶救他們的家園。警方消息說，至少有7所房子被嚴重燒燬。

馬拉松拒雅典40公里

馬拉松地區位於雅典市北部約40公里處，是首都大區最重要的農產品生產基地之一。目前，此地區3個村莊的數十間房屋被燒燬。

馬拉松地區有一個軍事基地，那裡存放有武器彈藥，消防人員上週六緊急搬走了軍事基地的武器彈藥。

希臘夏季高溫乾旱，易生火災。2007年夏天希臘發生的特大火災造成60多人死亡。

另外，葡萄牙北部及中部也發生林火，逾640名消防員乘坐20架消防飛機，進行滅火工作。

ATHENS, Aug 23 (Reuters) - Wildfires burned scores of homes and thousands of acres of forest near Athens as flames raged out of control for a second day on Sunday, sending huge clouds of smoke over the Greek capital, authorities said.

Hundreds fled their homes overnight as the blaze reached residential communities around Athens overnight, fanned by strong winds. Others were frantically trying to stop the flames from reaching houses with garden hoses and tree branches.

Greek officials and eyewitnesses said the fire had reached the suburbs of Aghios Stefanos, Anthoussa, Pallini, Pikermi and Dionyssos and that there were people refusing to leave their property as flames approached.

"The situation is worsening on an area in Aghios Stefanos and things are difficult in Anthoussa. There are homes on fire," eastern Attica prefect Leonidas Kouris told Greek television.

The fire broke out late on Friday in a village about 40 km (25 miles) northeast of the Greek capital and, fanned by strong winds, spread to neighbouring villages and northern suburbs of Athens.

Greek authorities declared a state of emergency in eastern Attica on Saturday where the flames seared about 30,000 acres (12,140 hectares) of forest, farming fields and olive groves.

"More than 120,000 stremmas (30,000 acres) have been burnt. It is an ecological disaster," Athens prefect Yiannis Sgouros told Greek television.

Greece has asked its allies for help and five fire fighting aircraft from Italy, France and Cyprus were expected to arrive on Sunday, fire officials said.

The fire brought back memories of 2007, when Greece's deadliest wildfires in living memory raged for more than 10 days on the Peloponnese peninsula and Evia island, killing 65 people.

Prime Minister Costas Karamanlis made a helicopter tour of the afflicted area on Sunday. He chaired a meeting at fire brigade operations centre in Athens late on Saturday for the second time in less than 24 hours and urged people not to panic.

"What we need above all is to stay calm," Karamanlis said after the meeting. "It would be wise to obey the instructions of the people in charge."

A children's hospital and a home for the elderly were evacuated.

Police and witnesses said scores of homes were heavily damaged but the fire brigade declined to give official data for the damage until the blaze was put out.

Twelve aircraft, eight helicopters, 130 fire engines and 592 firefighters were trying to battle the blaze, fire officials said. Some 340 soldiers were also dispatched to the fires.

Gale-force winds have fanned more than 100 blazes across Greece in the last three days. Fires also raged on the islands of Zakynthos, Evia, Skyros, and the central Greek Viotia area. A fire on the Dodecanese island of Rhodes was under control.

Wildfires are frequent in Greece in the summer, often caused by high temperatures and winds, drought or arson. Hundreds of fires raged across southern Europe in July, destroying thousands of hectares of forest and gutting dozens of homes. (Editing by Richard Williams)