The real summer heat has yet to come, but Greece is already battling with large numbers of wildfires that are also threatening tourist areas. Yesterday alone, the fire brigade noticed 52 new fires. 6 wind strength, dryness and high temperatures make it difficult to fight a fire.
On Monday, the fire spread to the Peloponnese peninsula near the village of Kranidi, especially among wealthy vacationers. Dutch King Willem-Alexander and his family own a holiday villa there. will not be in danger. One of the country’s most luxurious resorts was evacuated as a precaution and suffered fire damage. During the day yesterday, firefighters controlled the flames in Kranidi.
In the port city of Itea, near the archaeological site and tourist hotspot at Delphi, an estimated 300 hectares of olive groves were set ablaze, as well as 900 hectares of grassland and scrub. They form part of the 3,000-year-old olive grove of Amfissa, with 1.2 million trees the largest in southeastern Europe and a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
A hotel and a monastery were also evacuated. The fires around Etia appear to be under control, but they erupted again yesterday afternoon. A new fire broke out two kilometers outside Porto Germeno, another seaside town 50 kilometers west of Athens that is very popular with residents of the capital. Residents of a nearby village received an emergency message on their phones urging them to leave their homes.
The cause of the burn is unknown
On Monday alone, the fire service noticed 52 new fires. 6 wind strength, dryness and high temperatures make it difficult to fight a fire. The temperature in Athens reached 33 degrees, on Tuesday, on the eastern island of Samos, mercury touched 39 degrees.
To this day, the greatest fire danger still exists in the area of Athens, eastern Peloponnese, Crete, and the eastern islands. In the second half of the week the wind will fall and some cold and some rain are expected. The cause of the fires is unknown.
A team of Romanian firefighters help put out the Porto Germeno fire. Arriving last week, they are the first contingent of 200 men and women from six countries in the European Union to help Greece fight the fires this summer.
International aid is part of a plan to prevent a tragedy like last August. Until then the fires had destroyed a large area near Porto Germeno, as well as the outskirts of Athens, north of the island of Evia and the area around the ancient city of Olympia. In 2018, 100 people were killed when a fire broke out in the town of Mati, outside Athens.
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