Mother Makes Deadly Decision In Greece Fire Escape Attempt

It was an agonizing choice – stay and wait for a wall of flames to potentially destroy her family’s home or leave and venture into an uncertain territory clouded by smoke, fire and no visibility. It was the decision Athanasia Paraskevopoulou was forced to make Tuesday as a curtain of fire headed straight for her house in the town of Artemida, Greece. In the end, it would cost the mother and her four children their lives.

Paraskevopoulou is just one of 63 victims of the raging infernos burning up untold acreage in the ancient country, polluting the air and tragically changing the lives of millions. The 37-year-old teacher hailed from Athens, but had been in the mountain resort on vacation at the family cottage when the fire approached. She wasn’t sure whether to stay or flee, but decided to get her kids – ranging in age from 15 to just five – in her car and try to escape. She wasn’t alone and a convoy of vehicles set out to beat the flames that threatened to destroy everything in their path.

It came down to a fork in the road and a life or death choice. “There were two roads to choose from – there was no other alternative out of town. If you went down (the road), you died. If you went on the upper road, you lived,” relates village president Giorgos Korifas.

Paraskevopoulou and several others gambled on the lower road and lost. The thick smoke made visibility impossible and their convoy wound up in a massive traffic accident, as cars blindly slammed into each other. At least four vehicles caught fire, but that’s not what took the family’s lives. They managed to escape and headed for the hills. But the flames were right behind them. Their charred bodies were found huddled together by rescue workers who came upon the grim scene hours later. At least 23 people from the area died because of the fires, the largest group of victims in the country.

And in a terrible irony, had they decided not to leave they’d still be alive – their house wasn’t touched by the flames. “Nothing would have happened to them,” assures neighbour Vassiliki Tzevelekou. “The few that stayed didn’t get injured.”

Some 124 fires are raging out of control in 25 different areas, most believed set by arsonists. Crews have been overwhelmed by the sheer number of them and are finding it difficult to battle not only the flames but their own exhaustion.

Many left to fend for themselves are doing whatever they can to save their properties. “I had to use 300 litres of wine to try to extinguish the fire around my house,” recalls Georgios Dimopoulos, who lives in the village of Makistos. “For 17 hours I fought with the blaze. We were left at the mercy of the flames. I could not tell if it was day or night.”

Offers of help from Canada and other countries worldwide have been pouring in, as fear and anger are both fueled by the incessant infernos. Many locals are blaming the government’s lack of readiness in tinder dry conditions for the national disaster, which has touched areas that house some of Greece’s cherished ancient ruins.

The government believes the arsons are a deliberate tactic to sabotage upcoming elections which are supposed to be held on September 16th. Rewards of up to US$1.4 million are out for any information that leads to those who started the blazes.

Meanwhile, the Greek community in Toronto has set up an account to aid relief efforts in the embattled country. You can donate at the ScotiaBank at:

661 Danforth Ave.
Acct # 84772-01297-12

• As if that man-made disaster wasn’t enough, another more natural one struck the country on Tuesday. An earthquake measuring 5.1 on the Richer scale struck the western island of Kefalonia. Many fighting the fires reported feeling the ground shake, but it didn’t interrupt their rescue efforts. There are no reports of damage or injuries from the tremor.

Photo Credit: Aris Messinis/AFP/Getty Images