Over 600 firefighters backed by a fleet of water-dropping planes and helicopters, are battling three major wildfires in Greece, two of which have been raging for days, news media reported.
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A huge blaze in the country’s north-eastern regions of Evros and Alexandroupolis, believed to have caused the deaths of 20 of the 21 wildfire-related deaths in the last week, was burning for a ninth day, The Guardian reported.
The blaze, one of Europe’s largest single wildfires, has destroyed vast tracts of forest and burned homes in the outlying areas of the city of Alexandroupolis. On Sunday, 295 firefighters, seven planes and five helicopters were tackling the blaze, the fire department said.
The EU’s Copernicus Emergency Management Service said on Sunday that the wildfire had scorched 77,000 hectares (190,000 acres) of land and had 120 active hotspots.
Copernicus is the EU space programme’s Earth observation component and uses satellite imagery to provide mapping data.
On the north-western fringes of the Greek capital, another major wildfire has been blazing for days, scorching homes and burning into the national park on Mount Parnitha, one of the last green areas near Athens. The fire department said 260 firefighters, one plane and three helicopters were trying to extinguish the flames.
A third major wildfire started on Saturday on the Cycladic island of Andros and was still burning out of control on Sunday, with 73 firefighters, two planes and two helicopters dousing the blaze. Lightning strikes are suspected of having sparked the fire.
Greece has been plagued by daily outbreaks of dozens of fires over the past week as gale-force winds and hot, dry summer conditions combined to whip up flames and hamper firefighting efforts. On Saturday, firefighters tackled 122 blazes, including 75 fires that broke out in the 24 hours between Friday evening and Saturday evening, the fire department said.
With firefighting forces stretched to the limit, Greece has called for help from other European countries. Germany, Sweden, Croatia and Cyprus have sent aircraft, while dozens of firefighters from Romania, France, the Czech Republic, Bulgaria, Albania, Slovakia and Serbia are helping on the ground.
With their hot, dry summers, southern European countries are particularly prone to wildfires. EU officials have blamed climate breakdown for the increasing frequency and intensity of wildfires in Europe, noting that 2022 was the second worst year for wildfire damage on record after 2017.
The causes of Greece’s two largest fires have not yet been determined. Officials have said arson or negligence is suspected for some of the smaller blazes, and several people have been arrested.
On Saturday, Greek fire department officials arrested two men, one on the island of Evia and another in the central region of Larissa, for allegedly deliberately setting fire to dried grass and vegetation to spark wildfires.
Greece imposes wildfire prevention regulations, typically from the start of May to the end of October, to limit activities such as the burning of dried vegetation and the use of outdoor barbecues.
By Friday, fire department officials had arrested 163 people on fire-related charges since the start of the fire prevention season, said the government spokesperson Pavlos Marinakis, including 118 for negligence and 24 for deliberate arson. The police had made a further 18 arrests, he said. ■