Fire erupts near ancient Greek site of Mycenae
Huge fire rages near ruin of the Bronze age site, prompting authorities to vacate tourists to the archeological site.
A wildfire has erupted near the ruins of the Bronze Age site of Mycenae in Greece, prompting the evacuation of visitors to the archaeological site.
The fire started on Sunday near the tomb of Agamemnon, the king of Mycenae, one of the major centres of civilisation in the Mediterranean in the second millennium BC. According to legend, Agamemnon led the Greek forces in the Trojan war.
The flames licked the ruins but the fire department insisted there was no danger to the museum on the site in Greece’s Peloponnese region.
The blaze went through “a section of the archaeological site and burnt some dry grass without menacing the museum”, the commander of the southern Peloponnese region’s fire brigade, Thanassis Koliviras told Athens News Agency.
Firefighting efforts were being supported by four planes and two helicopters.
Greece annually grapples with wildfires during the dry summer season, with strong winds and temperatures frequently exceeding 30 degrees Celsius (86 Fahrenheit).
In 2007, fires threatened the temples and stadiums of ancient Olympia, birthplace of the modern Olympic Games.
Firefighters at the time were able to save the site on the Peloponnese and no serious damage occurred.
In 2018, a devastating blaze near the capital, Athens, caused the deaths of 102 people, the highest recorded toll from a fire in Greece’s modern history.