Two killed in fire on Salamis island near Athens

Two people have died in fires that broke out simultaneously Sunday on the Greek island of Salamis near Athens, the fire department said.

“Two bodies were recovered” from the Peristeria beach area in the south of the island, a fire department spokesman said.

Hundreds of people were evacuated Sunday as two fires broke out on the island of Salamis near Athens, a fire department spokesman said.

“There are hundreds of bathers and permanent residents, an evacuation order has been issued,” the agency’s deputy spokesman Yiannis Artopios told state TV ERT.

The civil protection ministry issued four evacuation orders in short succession as the fires broke out “almost simultaneously” in two popular bathing areas in the island’s south and east, Artopios said.

“It is a difficult fire… inside an inhabited area,” he said.

Some roads remained open and police forces were on hand to guide them to safety, Artopios said.

The fire service mobilized a large force of some 150 firefighters, 32 engines, four aircraft and six helicopters, the spokesman said.

Greece’s coastguard said it had dispatched five patrol boats to the area and several other private vessels were being made available.

The fire department also had two vessels assisting, Artopios said.