Thousands of people on the island of Euboea have already left their homes
An ancient 2,500-year-old olive tree, located in a grove near the town of Rovi, burned yesterday in a fire on the island of Euboea, the Tanjug news agency reported.
See footage from the fire in Greece >> >> >>
The island of Euboea, located 200 km east of Athens, is the second largest in Greece after Crete. Thousands of hectares of pine forests there were destroyed by the flames and were still burning this morning. The huge mountain island, which has always attracted Greek and foreign tourists, is a real nightmare for firefighters because of the uneven terrain and steep slopes.
The burnt millennial tree was a centuries-old symbol of the place, and is described in the writings of the ancient geographer and philosopher Strabo. Its thickness was such that it took 10 people to cover it, and by its last day it had produced many olives.
The message about the destruction of the tree was posted on Twitter and provoked the reaction of many Greek users of the social network, and the mayor of the nearby town of Istia – Edipsos Ioannis Kondzias said that the situation on the island “can be compared to the Holocaust.”
“The thick cloud of smoke hovering over the country and the pungent smell of burns make it impossible to ignore the harsh reality. We seem to be facing something bigger than us, something that is difficult to explain“, commented the newspaper” Kathimerini “.
Thousands of Euboea residents have fled their homes after the fires spread uncontrollably for the seventh day in a row, and ferries are ready to evacuate more people if they are ready, Tanyug added.
The seven-day heatwave that engulfed Greece is the worst in three decades, and the Greek army is also involved in putting out the fires. Meanwhile, the fire around Athens has begun to subside.
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