Summary of the day
A wildfire continued to burn on the outskirts of Athens, though its intensity has been reduced.
The Greek minister for climate crisis and civil protection, Vassilis Kikilias, has said that “forty hours after the extremely dangerous wildfire broke out in Varnava, we can now say that there is no active front, only scattered hotspots.”
The woman who was found dead in a factory in an Athens suburb has been identified as a Moldovan citizen in her 60s.
Greece’s opposition lambasted prime minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis’ centre right government for what has been described as a lacklustre response to the inferno.
With fire damage already being evaluated, the Greek government has announced that support measures will be formally unveiled for the afflicted later today.
The Greek foreign ministry thanked partners for their assistance in combating the wildfires.
With fire damage already being evaluated by civil protection teams of engineers and other officials, the Greek government has announced that support measures will be formally unveiled for the afflicted later today.
The Greek prime minister, Kyriakos Mitsotakis, will oversee an emergency meeting to discuss management of the fires at 6 PM local time.
Thousands of people, evacuated from homes destroyed by the fast-moving blaze, will be able to apply for financial assistance.
The 15-strong package of natural disaster measures includes an initial support payment of 10,000 euros for properties deemed dangerous for use – marked with a red X – and 5,000 euro for those deemed temporarily unsuitable for use, marked with a yellow X.
Through an online portal expected to open in the coming days, the fire stricken will be able to apply for government aid and interest-free loans to rebuild damaged properties and absolved from paying property taxes, known as ENFIA, for three years. Business owners will also be absolved from meeting tax obligations for at least six months.
The measures were slammed by the opposition as not only being inadequate but tantamount to an “aspirin” being meted out by a government now bent on damage control. In what will be remembered as one of the worst fires in living memory, the blaze entered the ‘urban fabric’ of the capital, destroying buildings in northern suburbs.
“The government is attempting damage control after the huge and catastrophic fire that raged for 40 hours in Attica, even entering the urban fabric [of Athens] and leaving behind a dead woman” the left wing daily Efsyn wrote.
