To the west of the Greek capital, Athens, fires have been raging for several days, destroying homes and forests and forcing residents to evacuate, writes Reuters.
Authorities are bracing for the next heat wave, which is likely to turn the country into a flammable matchbox.
Extinguishing works resumed on the 19th of July with the first morning light. Firefighters have informed that new fires have broken out on the island of Rhodes, and the flames have taken over the forest. Three villages and a hotel in the mountainous areas were evacuated. Currently, there is no fire near the resorts.
In Mainland Greece, firefighters worked through the night to control burning areas. The changing wind direction has renewed the flames again and again, and thick smoke has covered a wide area.
The authorities have announced an evacuation in three areas.
Italy and France have sent four aircraft to help with extinguishing and rescue operations. Firefighters from all over the country are involved in the extinguishing, and teams from Poland, Romania, and Slovakia are also helping.
Fires are a common occurrence in Greece, but the much drier and hotter summers of recent years have turned the Mediterranean region into a highly flammable place.
Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis visited the rescue center to receive an update on the fires.
Greece’s meteorological service has warned of increased fire danger while the country is still recovering from its first major heat wave.
The next heat wave is expected already on Thursday, the 20th of July.
The flames, which engulfed a region 30 kilometers from Athens on the 17th of July, spread rapidly due to the wind and reached Mandra, forcing residents to leave the city. Not everyone evacuated willingly. Greek police had to plead with a group of nuns to leave the convent as flames raged nearby. A resident of Mandra, standing in front of a house destroyed by flames, told Reuters that everyone’s efforts had been put into building the house and now all was lost.
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