Fire progression: 6pm

New fires have been added to the morning one. All of Athens with any tree left is burning...
This is at 6pm. Please note that the sun sets at 8pm..

Fire progression: 12 noon

You can figure out which way the fire is moving (heavy clouds from northeast)
Note I live about 40km away from the fire front

The fires at 9am. View from my terrace

East (heavier smoke)
West (clearer sky)

Athens is burning. Again

Just the other day I was thinking that this year we got away without any fires in the summer. I was really happy but afraid as the summer was not over. During the month of August, the summer wind, known as Meltemi, provide the best condition for a fire to spread.
Unfortunately the last few days we had strong meltemia. This morning I woke up to see my terrace full of ash. The sky was yellow-orange-red toward the east. At the beginning I thought I woke up at some strange moment during sunrise. But the sulfuric smell and the blue sky in the west made me in a few seconds to realize that there was another catastrophy taking place. I shivered. I opened the TV. Nothing yet. Stupid kid shows. After a while there were of course special coverage showing the length and depth of the catastrophy. Toward NE Athens, there was a huge fire killing everything in its passing, a front that was on one side only 5km long! With that wind? I think it is impossible to stop. The good news is that as the day goes on the wind seems to lower its strength.
People are afraid for their lives and properties. I am very much afraid of the impossibility to leave in Athens in the near future. In Cyprus they already import the water they drink and water their plants. I am afraid I will experience that during my lifetime and very soon...