In a scene that resonated more with the war, well-trained firefighters conducted a “superman” battle with the support of the local people to extinguish the violent fire that raged on the island of Evia in Greece for the eighth day.
On Tuesday, another village was ordered to be evacuated, and a multinational force of nearly 900 firefighters was at the scene desperately to prevent the fire surrounding the northern town of Istiaia.
The fire department said that in addition to 873 firefighters, 50 ground teams and 229 vehicles are extinguishing the fire.
Under the conditions of the fire box created by the unprecedented summer temperature, Greece In the eyes of forest fire storms that have been witnessed in Italy and Turkey.
In a televised speech later on Monday, Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis stated that it was clear that the country was enduring “an unprecedented natural disaster.” He said firefighters were forced to deal with 586 fires triggered and exacerbated by a heat wave that is expected to intensify again this week. Mizotakis has said that this crisis reflects the reality of climate change.
“The past few days have been the hardest for our country in decades,” said the leader, apologizing for his failure in the often chaotic response to emergencies.
The hellfire on Evia, Greece’s second largest island, is the worst so far in the country, destroying large tracts of primitive pine forests and destroying countless houses. In the city of Mantoudi, more than 1,000 houses have been burnt down. If the fire is not extinguished, communities further north will now face the same prospects.
In Evia and southern Peloponnese, hell has also raged, and the phenomenon of reigniting after being extinguished has hindered efforts, because the fire has been revitalized under the impetus of unpredictable winds.
“We are talking about the sudden appearance of a 30-meter high flame,” a woman in Evia told the national broadcaster ERT, because her husband regretted that there were no water drop planes and helicopters to come to the rescue.
The sky covered with smoke and ashes obstructed the visibility of pilots from 22 countries. Yesterday, Turkey and Russia stated that they will also send aircraft to strengthen the reinforcements already sent. Europe, Middle Eastern countries, the United Kingdom and the United States.
Since there are no planes over Evia, bulldozers can be seen making fire belts in the forest early on Tuesday. Since the wooded suburbs on the northern edge of Athens began a crisis in the fire last week, people have seen locals use anything they can use—from garden hoses to simple buckets—to protect their homes.
By Monday, about 2,600 people had been evacuated from Evia through the fleet, and the elderly and infirm were forced to take refuge on the ferry or sleep on sun loungers on the beach.
Taking into account the devastating fires that killed 103 people in the coastal towns of Marti and Kokino Limanaki in July 2018, the government has made saving lives a priority. However, some residents said that the evacuation order was too early, and only allowed properties and virgin forests that could have been preserved to catch fire.
Mizotakis vowed to immediately compensate the victims of the fire. After an emergency cabinet meeting on Tuesday, a series of relief measures were announced, including an initial payment of 150,000 euros in state funds for those who have lost their homes. Victims will be exempt from taxation obligations in the next three years and will receive 70% of other damage compensation. Evia, located in northeastern Athens, will be the focus of a large regeneration plan that will include planting fire-resistant trees when the wildfires finally end.
