Two people died in a violent forest fire which broke out on Tuesday afternoon 15 km from Thessaloniki, Greece’s second city located in the north of the country, according to a new report from firefighters on Wednesday.
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A few hours after the start of the fire near the village of Liti, firefighters discovered the body of a man on a nearby plot of land, while a woman suffering from burns was hospitalized.
On Tuesday evening, firefighters discovered another deceased person in a house in the affected area.
The firefighters were working on Wednesday to identify this second victim, a manager from their press service told AFP.
According to villagers’ testimonies, it was a 12-year-old boy, son of the injured woman.
On Tuesday, the fire quickly spread over a 5 km long front, fanned by the strong winds blowing in the region.
It was finally contained, firefighters announced on Wednesday.
Dozens of other forest fires have broken out in recent days across Greece due to strong winds, but they were contained in time without causing casualties or serious damage, according to firefighters.
Greece is plagued by forest fires every summer due to high temperatures, frequent heatwaves and the drought that hits this region.
The country has so far been spared the prolonged heatwave affecting other European countries. But since Monday, the mercury has started to rise and is expected to reach 38°C on Wednesday, according to the meteorological services.
