The battle against the flames in West Attica enters its fourth consecutive day, with one of the main fronts of the massive wildfire centered around Louba in Megara, as firefighters, volunteers, local residents, and aerial units fought through Monday evening (3/8) to contain the blaze.
Read also: Louba re-ignition at dawn: Major fire service mobilization and aerial drops at first light (Images & Video)
West Attica wildfires: Frame by frame — firefighters and aerial units race to save Louba from the flames
Shortly before 7:00 p.m., the fire descended from the mountainous area of Psatha and, fueled by strong winds, began rapidly spreading toward Louba. As seen in the footage, the flames caught everyone off guard and within minutes had reached the first homes of the settlement, triggering an immediate alarm. A powerful response followed swiftly, with large firefighting forces arriving on scene — including EMODE ground units, volunteers, and local residents armed with branches to beat back the fire.
“In five minutes you will have burned — leave now”
“In five minutes you will have burned — get out of the area now, leave now, you are blocking the vehicles,” the fire crew commander shouted at those who remained on the scene. Although the flames towered over 20 meters high, firefighters did not wait for aerial support and immediately threw themselves into the battle, fighting desperately to protect the homes of the settlement. Reinforcements began arriving minutes later. Firefighters from Romania and France, dozens of volunteers, and municipal fire units from areas including Vyronas, Ilioupoli, and Marousi formed their own protective “wall” around the houses. At around 7:30 p.m., aerial assets joined the effort. Canadair tankers and Erikson helicopters carried out successive drops directly over the fire front, supporting the firefighters’ advance, and within a short time the flames were brought under control, reduced to small, scattered hotspots. Local community members reported that, based on initial information gathered, all homes threatened by this particular front appeared to have been saved, thanks to the overwhelming mobilization of the fire service. It should be noted that further re-ignitions broke out in Louba later that night and into the early morning hours.
Watch the video:
