The smoke from Siberia has traveled over 3,000 km
The Greeks are jumping against the authorities – they are not responding adequately to the disaster
Prime Minister Mitsotakis apologized, giving 500m in aid to those affected by the blaze
Heavy heat in Italy, alarm in Rome and 7 other cities
Forest fires in Siberia are growing and are already on such a scale that the smoke from them has reached the North Pole for the first time in history. This is shown by NASA data, quoted by AFP.
One of the most affected areas is Yakutia, a vast and sparsely populated area in northern Siberia, where the situation continues to deteriorate, with the number of fires growing and the area affected. More than 3.4 million hectares of forests are now burning, including hard-to-reach and remote areas.
According to NASA, the smoke from the fires in Yakutia has traveled more than 3,000 kilometers to reach the North Pole, which
happens for the first time,
since such statistics have been kept
Again, according to NASA, thick and astringent smoke from forest fires covered much of Russia, which was captured by satellites on August 6. Looking from above, the country is all in smoke and fog. The thick smoke stretches 3,200 km from east to west and 4,000 km from south to north, reaching the pole.
Smoke from Siberia has darkened the skies over parts of Mongolia, including Ulaanbaatar. And the Siberian city of Krasnoyarsk topped the global ranking of the cities with the most polluted air in IQAir monitoring with a huge lead.
Russian scientists confirm that the current fires are a consequence of rising global temperatures.
Greece has also been on fire for more than a week. Residents protested in front of the parliament in Athens against the government, accusing the authorities of not being prepared for an adequate response.
According to the government protesters
did not provide enough money
for the hiring and training of firefighters
and has not purchased the necessary equipment. There are also allegations of poor maintenance of the forest fund and other environmentally harmful practices.
Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis apologized for the failures in putting out the fires. He said the country is facing an unprecedented crisis and is doing everything possible.
“The last days have been the most difficult for our country for decades. We have fought and are still fighting with all our might, but we are facing a natural disaster of unprecedented proportions. The damage, especially in Euboea and Attica, darkens our hearts, and I am the first to apologize for any weaknesses. I fully understand the pain of our fellow citizens who saw how
their houses and properties burn down,
as well as the pain of having to leave their homes suddenly, ”he added.
In a televised address, the Greek prime minister stressed that climate change is knocking on the door, and called on Greeks to nevertheless be united against the natural disaster. The prime minister has promised to compensate those who have lost their homes, with 500m euros in aid.
More than 500 fires have broken out in Greece in the past week, the most devastating of which are in Attica and the island of Euboea. Thousands of families were forced to evacuate from dozens of settlements. The eighth day continues the struggle of the firefighters of Euboea, where
most of the extinguished
outbreaks flare up again
Hundreds of volunteers are helping the firefighters. 17,000 families are without electricity. With a living chain around the villages, residents are trying to save their homes.
Extinguishing is also done with active international assistance. The European Union is allocating 500 million euros to those affected by fires and afforestation of burned areas.
It is also difficult in the Arcadia region of the Peloponnese, where people are being evacuated.
Russian President Vladimir Putin has accepted Greece’s request for more firefighting planes, Kathimerini reported. Moscow will send two Il-76 planes and two Mi-8 helicopters. “The response will be immediate,” the Russian embassy in Greece tweeted. Russia has already sent a Be-200 aircraft to Greece to take part in forest fire-fighting operations on the island of Euboea.
At the same time, Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said in a telephone conversation with his Greek counterpart that
Turkey will send to
Greece two firefighting planes
of fires, reports the Daily Sabah.
Israel also sent two additional firefighting planes to Greece. The decision was announced after a telephone conversation between Mitsotakis and his Israeli counterpart Naftali Bennett as solidarity and support for the country facing the raging fires. This aid comes in addition to Israeli firefighters who are already in Greece.
A number of countries have responded to Greece’s call for help, including France, Germany and Britain. Prime Minister Mitsotakis thanked for the help and solidarity.
A new heat wave hit Italy as well. An alarm for dangerous hot weather was issued for eight Italian cities – Rome, Campobasso, Bari, Frosinone, Latina, Palermo, Perugia and Rieti, and it is expected that the most dangerous will be there on Wednesday, ANSA reported. For four of these settlements, the red code comes into force tomorrow – Rome, Bari, Rieti and Campobasso. According to the forecasts in places
to the south in Italy
there could be
up to 48 degrees
At an altitude of 1500 meters are expected up to 30 degrees Celsius, and in the valley of the river Po – up to 45 degrees.
The heat will continue until August 15 and is due to the anticyclone Lucifer, adds the “Journal”.
The heatwave is sweeping the country as it continues to fight fires in Calabria, Sicily, Lazio, Sardinia, Basilicata, Campania and Molise. Eight fires are raging in Calabria alone. There is one each in Umbria and Abruzzo.
Meanwhile, hidden cameras filmed an arsonist in southern Italy. Authorities in the city of Montesarcio have decided to install video surveillance near the places where the fires broke out. This is how the arsonist was photographed at the time of the act. The 50-year-old farmer was detained by the carabinieri. He faces from 4 to 10 years in prison.
There have been more than 44,000 outbreaks in Italy since mid-June, twice as many as last year.
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