Artemida, Greece – As the wall of flames swept through the heavily forested mountain toward her home, Athanasia Paraskevopoulou gathered her three daughters, ages 15, 12 and 10, and her 5-year-old son and bundled them into a car.
Firefighters later found their charred remains not far from Artemida, the village they fled Friday, the mother’s arms wrapped tightly around her children. Their home survived virtually unscathed, but the family was among at least 63 victims claimed by Greece’s worst wildfire disaster in memory.
The 37-year-old teacher from Athens was enjoying the end of the summer holiday in the family’s vacation home when wildfires started breaking out across the Peloponnese peninsula Thursday – fires that have since swept over swathes of the country and scorched sites such as Ancient Olympia, birthplace of the Olympic Games.
The approaching wildfires struck fear among the 100 or so residents of the village of Artemida, nestled amid olive groves.
“Everyone was in a panic. Within 10 minutes, the fire swept in from the east and was all around us, both above and below the village,” said Lambrini Tzevelekou, 37, a friend of Paraskevopoulou’s. “They gathered everyone together in the square … and all left together packed in cars.”
According to residents and rescuers, the leading part of the convoy apparently crashed into a firetruck speeding toward the village. The truck overturned, blocking part of the road. With little visibility because of the smoke, the remainder of the convoy slammed into the wreckage and at least four cars burned. Those who survived the pileup, including Paraskevopoulou and her children, fled on foot.
Firefighters later found the charred remains of the mother and children huddled on a hillside near the accident. Nine people died on that road and were among 23 victims from the region around the village, the largest single group of dead from the wildfires.
On Monday, the blazes continued to threaten lives and homes. Firefighters rushed helicopters and buses to evacuate more than two dozen villages.
The destruction and deaths have infuriated Greeks. Many people said the government did not react quickly enough.
After declaring a state of emergency over the weekend, the government raised the possibility of arson and said several people had been arrested. A prosecutor on Monday ordered an investigation into whether arson attacks could come under Greece’s anti-terrorism and organized-crime laws.
