WILDFIRES spreading rapidly through Greece and Turkey are forcing thousands to flee, as a heatwave transforms forests into tinderboxes.
The worst of the blazes, of which 150 have been reported, have sent huge plumes of smoke billowing over the northern outskirts of Greece’s capital, Athens.
The fires have claimed two lives. A volunteer firefighter was killed by a falling electricity pole in Athens on Friday, while the president of the Athens Chamber of Commerce, Konstantinos Michalos, was found unconscious in a factory close to where a fire was raging.
According to BBC reports, another 20 people have been injured as a result of the blazes.
Greece, like many parts of Europe, has been grappling with extreme weather.
Temperatures across the country have sat above 40C all week, as the prime minister says the heat has turned the country into a powder keg.
Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis says the fires outlined "the reality of climate change".
Hundreds of firefighters have been deployed in a bid to control the fires, armed with nearly 20 water-bombing aircraft.
Other countries are sending extra firefighters and planes to assist, including France and the US.
Along with Athens, the wildfires are burning across the island of Evia and areas in the Peloponnese including Mani, Messinia and ancient Olympia, the site of the first Olympic Games.
Deputy Civil Protection Minister Nikos Hardalias yesterday, on the fourth day of the wildfires ravaging the nation, told reporters that another “difficult night” lay ahead.
"Wildfires of unprecedented intensity and spread, all our forces are fighting the battle day and night to save lives, together with volunteers,” he said.
The coastguard evacuated 650 people by fishing boat and ferry from the island of Evia on Friday, as wildfires burned through forestry all the way to the shore.
Sotiris Danikas, a coast guard official on the island, told broadcaster ERT the severity of the situation was difficult to describe.
"We're talking about the apocalypse,” he said.
The air in northern Athens was full of smoke, while a thin layer of ash coated the ground.
Strong, hot winds were exacerbating the problem, breathing oxygen into the blazes while firefighters battled to contain them.
Meanwhile,Turkey has entered its 10th consecutive day of fires, the most severe blazes in well over a decade, DW reported.
The Presidential Communications Office on Friday said 12 blazes were still out of control, with the worst-affected areas along Turkey's southern and western coastline, and in the regions of Antalya, Marmaris, Bodrum and Milas.
Several neighbourhoods in Milas were engulfed in flames overnight, though residents had already been evacuated and the fire was eventually brought under control by emergency crews.
At least eight people were believed to have died in Turkey since the fires broke out last Wednesday.
Source: Read Full Article
