The tongues of fire have approached the sanctuary of Olympia dangerously.
More than 170 firefighters and soldiers, about fifty vehicles, helicopters as well as several water bombers were sent as reinforcements to the old religious site which was threatened, Wednesday, by one of the multiple monster fires which ravage Greece for several days.
Mobilized throughout the night to protect the archaeological site and its museum as much as possible, the firefighters managed to curb the progression of the flames on Thursday morning.
And save the priceless historical heritage of Olympia.
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After having burned about twenty houses,
"the fire front is now heading towards the area of Lala"
, a mountainous forest area, north-east of the ancient site, prefect Nektarios Farmakis said on Thursday morning, interviewed by the agency. Greek press AMNA.
“A big thank you to all those who fought to protect the sacred site of Olympia, which is world famous
, congratulated the Greek Prime Minister Kyriákos Mitsotákis, who went in Élide on Thursday morning, accompanied by the Minister of Culture Lina Mendoni.
I had the opportunity to visit the site today. Fortunately, the site and its surroundings are completely protected and intact. ”
According to information from CNN Greece, the fire that threatened the site of Olympia less than 24 hours ago has not yet been completely controlled, even if it is on the decline.
Flames invade the forest near ancient Olympia, in western Greece, on the evening of Wednesday August 4, 2021. Eurokinissi / AFP
A historic heatwave
Although the flames have moved away somewhat in recent hours from the historic center of the region, the local situation remains worrying, as Kyriákos Mitsotákis observed during his visit on Thursday to the mobile center for the coordination of operations around Olympia. .
"As you can see, the battle continues
," the Greek Prime Minister said on the spot.
We still have active fronts here in Elis.
And tomorrow, we expect an even more difficult day, as we estimate that we will have stronger winds. ”
In order to step up the fight against existing fires and prevent new outbreaks as quickly as possible, a more active participation of the armed forces was announced Thursday morning by the Greek Minister of Defense, Nikólaos Panayotópoulos.
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Established near the old sanctuary, modern Olympia was evacuated Wednesday as a precaution, like half a dozen neighboring municipalities also threatened by the flames from the heatwave that hit the south of the country for a week. One of the most visited tourist sites on the peninsula, the Sanctuary of Zeus in Olympia was already one of the epicenters of the Greek world in Antiquity, when the sanctuary hosted the original Olympic Games. These took place there for nearly 1000 years, between the 8th century BC. AD and the end of the 4th century AD. Apart from the Games, the shrine was also known to be one of the main sites dedicated to Zeus, including the monumental chryselephantine statue, erected by Phidias in the 5th century BC. AD,was one of the Seven Wonders of the World.
In the rest of Greece, more than 3,000 hectares were devastated in the Peloponnese alone over the past weekend, as major fires broke out around Athens as well as on the island of Euboea where an important device has also been deployed. Dryed up by temperatures exceeding 40 ° C, at least 25,000 hectares of pine forest have gone up in smoke on the mountainous and wooded terrain of the island. Hundreds of houses were also burnt there, and around 90 people were evacuated from the beach of Rovies - in the north-west of the island - by the Greek coast guard. Despite the improvement in the situation around Olympia, the situation remains tense across the country: firefighters said Thursday morning that they had had to deal with 92 forest fires in the last 24 hours in Greece,of the 118 counted Wednesday evening by the Deputy Minister of Civil Protection, Nikos Hardalias.
"We are making a titanic effort on several fronts,"
he said during a press briefing. If the war of fire which rages in Greece is not yet finished, Zeus undoubtedly blows already to have avoided with his sanctuary Olympian, and for this time at least, the blaze of the forges of Hephaestus.