The sky turns orange while a powerful fire eradicates forests and forces people to flee on the large Greek island of Evvia.
Flames are approaching the village of Gouves on the island of Evvia, northeast of Athens, and thousands of people have to be evacuated. Photo: NTB
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Deputy Minister for Social Security Nikos Hardalias has no reassuring words to make on Sunday night.
– We have another long evening and night ahead of us, he says.
The fire started on August 3 and has burned down a dozen homes and shops from coast to coast on the dry island northeast of Athens.
45 grader
Thousands of residents and tourists have been evacuated, and hundreds have been transported by ferry.
The fire is currently the most severe that has occurred in Greece after the country’s most prolonged and intense heat wave in three decades. The temperature has been up to 45 degrees, with severe drought as a result.
The Coast Guard states that three patrol boats, four naval vessels, a ferry, two tourist boats and a large number of fishing boats and private boats are ready to evacuate people from the village of Pefki.
During the night, 83 people were evacuated from beaches north of the island, and the night before, more than 1,000 were retrieved from a village and beaches while the flames ravaged the hill behind them.
—-A ferry comes from the burning island of Evvia with evacuated residents and tourists. Photo: Michael Varaklas / AP / NTB
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Planes and helicopters released water on the fire, but Mayor Giannis Kotzias in fire-threatened Istaia, farthest north on the island, complains that it is too late.
– We are left to ourselves, the end is near, the area is already destroyed, he says.
Residents of surrounding villages have been asked to go to Istaia, where they can be evacuated.
The fire service says that 575 fire crews with 89 vehicles are putting out the fire. Among them are 112 from Ukraine and 100 from Romania. A total of 17 helicopters and aircraft, including a huge Russian Beriev 200 aircraft, have been deployed.
A Pezetel firefighter crashed on the island of Zakynthos in western Greece on Wednesday. The pilot must be safe and unharmed, according to the news agency ANA.
Difficult topography
The topography of the island, with steep, wooded hills and deep gorges, makes the extinguishing work a nightmare.
Deputy Minister of Social Security Nikos Hardalias says the situation is now under control in the Peloponnese peninsula, and the massive fire that ravaged the pine forests on the outskirts of Athens seems to be coming to an end.
A firefighter died near Athens when he received an electricity pole over him, while 20 people have received medical treatment.
300 houses and buildings have been plundered by Athens, and authorities say it will take two weeks to restore power.
Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis says that the first priority when the fires are over will be to provide assistance to all those affected.
– When this nightmare summer is over, we will focus all our attention on repairing the damage as soon as possible and restoring our natural environment, he says.
Climate changes
The cause of the fires is under investigation. Three people were arrested on Friday in the Athens area, suspected of arson, while a 47-year-old Greek was taken on Saturday after lighting two fires in a wood and four in rubbish bins.
But the deeper cause, according to both Greek and European officials, is climate change, which is the cause of the heat and drought that have made the forest so easily ignitable.
Not only Greece but also Turkey and Italy have been hit by extensive fires as a result of the drought this summer.
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