- On Wednesday, hundreds of firefighters were trying to control two large-scale wildfires in Greece, one of which has lasted for nine days.
- Greek firefighters are working hard to extinguish the fire, which has left hundreds of people homeless and caused immeasurable losses.
- Three people were killed in the latest wave of fires, which occurred in the worst heat wave in Greece in decades.
On Wednesday, hundreds of firefighters were trying to control two large-scale wildfires in Greece. One of the fires lasted nine days, leaving hundreds of people homeless and causing immeasurable damage.
With the assistance of a large multinational force, the Greek fire brigade is extinguishing fires on the rugged terrain of Evia and Peloponnese.
“I think we can say that the line of fire is slowly being brought under control,” Giannis Conzias, the mayor of the already threatened town of Istia Evia, told state television ERT.
“Yesterday, we saw the sun’s rays for the first time in a few days,” he said, referring to the water droplets that suffocated residents and blocked firefighting aircraft.
The situation in the Gottnia mountain area of the Peloponnese is even more unstable, with dense forests and deep canyons.
Lieutenant Governor Christos Lambropoulos of the wider Arcadia region said that efforts are focused on preventing the fire from spreading to the densely forested Mount Minaro.
“The village seems to be in no danger at the moment… but the situation changes every hour,” he told ERT.
Three people were killed in the latest wave of fires, which occurred in the worst heat wave in Greece in decades.
Many people here admit that help from abroad is essential to avoid greater disasters.
So far, European Union countries and other countries have sent 21 planes, 250 cars and more than 1,200 firefighters, some of whom were originally scheduled to arrive on Friday.
In Greece, calls for the resignation of senior public safety officials are increasing, and they recently insisted in June that the country is fully prepared.
Deputy Minister of Civil Defense Nikos Hardalias insisted on Tuesday:
(Our resources) are stronger than ever. In the worst weather in 40 years, we encountered 586 fires in 8 days, which is unique in operation.
This week, Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis apologized to the country for any “flaws” that may exist in the country’s response. He will hold a press conference on Thursday because people are facing increasing pressure.
In addition to the early estimates of the loss of hundreds of houses and the blow to Greece’s dwindling forests, the cost of the local economy is also expected to be daunting.
“We are facing extinction,” said Kontzias, the mayor of Evia, whose jurisdiction includes the popular spa town of Edipsos.
“We have lost August, which will sustain people’s lives in the coming year.”
“The (local) tourism industry has been dismantled and most (tourists) have left,” he said. “The damage is huge, and environmental disasters will have an impact on the economy for decades,” he said.
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