GPS News
FIRE STORM
Greece struggles to tame wildfires raging for a sixth day
Greece struggles to tame wildfires raging for a sixth day
By Anne-Sophie LABADIE with John HADOULIS in Athens
Acharnes, Greece (AFP) Aug 24, 2023

Hundreds of firefighters in Greece struggled Thursday to tame deadly wildfires burning for a sixth day, amid growing outrage over what critics says has been the inadequate government response.

So far, 20 people have been killed in the blazes.

The largest fire front was in northern Greece, where a mega blaze that erupted on Saturday near the port city of Alexandroupoli has now spread over 15 kilometres (nine miles).

On Thursday afternoon there was a major flareup there in Dadia forest, one of the most important areas in Europe for birds of prey.

The Alexandroupoli wildfires are now the largest in the EU on record for 2023 and the second largest since 2000, according to the EU.

- 'Days of complete collapse' -

On Mount Parnitha near Athens, another fire was raging for a second day in the largest forest adjoining the capital, threatening a national park.

Fire department spokesman Yiannis Artopios told state television ERT there had been an "explosion of fire" in a forest ravine early Thursday that renewed the threat to inhabited areas.

"The biggest fire fronts are being faced in Parnitha where great efforts are being made to contain it," he said.

In the district of Menidi at the foothills of Parnitha, where many have lost homes, there was anger at the perceived failure of the state to protect properties for yet another summer.

Nikos Lazarou, a 32-year-old mechanic, told AFP he was "furious" about fires "breaking out every year."

The same area had also been hit in 2021 by a major wildfire that burned part of a national park.

"The authorities need to take measures," he said.

Opposition also blasted the government for what they said was inadequate preparedness and mismanagement.

"We are experiencing days of complete collapse," Stergios Kalpakis, spokesman for the main opposition Syriza party told local radio Sto Kokkino.

- Casualties -

Civil Protection Minister Vassilis Kikilias said Thursday that there had been several attempts by arsonists to start new fires on Mount Parnitha since Thursday morning.

"Arsonist scum are setting fires that threaten forests, property and, most of all, human lives," he said in a televised address.

"You are committing a crime against the country, you will not get away with it, we will find you, you will be held accountable," Kikilias said.

Police and the intelligence service EYP are investigating the incidents, he added.

Five suspects for arson attacks had been detained on Thursday, said a police official.

"The state really needs to stiffen penalties (for arson)," Nikos Xagoraris, a local deputy mayor, told ERT before breaking down in tears. "This can't go on, the whole country has burned."

The bodies of 19 people believed to be migrants, two of them children, were found in the area this week.

Officials have warned that as the area is a popular entry point for smugglers from neighbouring Turkey, more casualties are likely to be found among asylum seekers who could not escape the flames.

A third large fire was in Boeotia, north of Athens, where a 1,000-year-old UNESCO-listed Byzantine monastery, Hosios Loukas, narrowly escaped destruction on Wednesday.

A shepherd lost his life in the fires in Boeotia on Monday.

The greater Athens area -- alongside Boeotia and the island of Evia -- were the Greek regions most at risk of new fire outbreaks Thursday, the civil protection ministry said.

The hot and dry conditions that increase the fire risk will persist until Friday, according to meteorologists.

Kikilias on Wednesday said the country was going through the worst summer since fire-risk maps were introduced in 2009.

Fire department spokesman Artopios said Wednesday that 60 firefighters had been hurt in operations.

The fires have burned more than 120,000 hectares of land across Greece in 2023 until Wednesday, according to estimates from the National Observatory.

This year's burned land area is three times larger than the average annually since 2006, according to the European Observatory of Forest Fires.

Related Links
Forest and Wild Fires - News, Science and Technology

Subscribe Free To Our Daily Newsletters
Tweet

RELATED CONTENT
The following news reports may link to other Space Media Network websites.
FIRE STORM
Climate change supercharged 'fire weather' behind Canada blazes
Washington (AFP) Aug 22, 2023
Months of hot and dry weather created the tinderbox-like conditions behind this year's record-breaking wildfires in Canada, leading scientists to point the finger at climate change. An in-depth scientific analysis published Tuesday now bears this out, finding fire seasons of this severity are at least seven times more likely to occur as a result of humanity burning fossil fuels. The study by the World Weather Attribution group also found that over the year, fire-prone conditions were 50 percent ... read more

FIRE STORM
French grape-pickers wilt as 'heat dome' temperatures top 40C

High heat can serve up food insecurity within days

New UCF project examines key role soils play in keeping the planet cool

Hong Kong to curb some Japan food imports over Fukushima water release

FIRE STORM
Chip giant Nvidia rides AI wave as profits soar

British chip champion Arm files to go public in US

Scientists develop fermionic quantum processor

Novel hardware approach offers new quantum-computing paradigm

FIRE STORM
Is a Mach 4 Passenger Jet Possible? NASA, Industry Explore Idea

Planning algorithm enables high-performance flight

Barnacles could provide clues about the fate of flight MH370

NASA software developers take autonomy from simulation to flight

FIRE STORM
Vietnam's VinFast targets US electric car market

New York drives towards first US congestion charge

London mayor unveils new support over road pollution charge

Uber reports surprise profit in Q2

FIRE STORM
Markets rise after latest selloff but traders fret over outlook

'Can't sleep at night': China's youth worry about tough job market

'Strong enough now': BRICS nations eye global geopolitical shift

Biden to attend next month's G20 summit in New Delhi as Harris heads to Jakarta

FIRE STORM
Canada to challenge latest US duties on softwood lumber

Tropical forests nearing critical temperatures thresholds

Amazon emissions soared under Brazil's Bolsonaro: study

Illegal logging turns Syria's forests into 'barren land'

FIRE STORM
Atmospheric circulation weakens following volcanic eruptions

Land Surveyor 4A satellite enters preset orbit

Planet Labs secures deal with an Asian Ministry of Foreign Affairs

Spire participates in Prize to advance measurements of Earth's Magnetic Field

FIRE STORM
World Nano Foundation highlights nanotech's role in space materials science

Subscribe Free To Our Daily Newsletters




The content herein, unless otherwise known to be public domain, are Copyright 1995-2024 - Space Media Network. All websites are published in Australia and are solely subject to Australian law and governed by Fair Use principals for news reporting and research purposes. AFP, UPI and IANS news wire stories are copyright Agence France-Presse, United Press International and Indo-Asia News Service. ESA news reports are copyright European Space Agency. All NASA sourced material is public domain. Additional copyrights may apply in whole or part to other bona fide parties. All articles labeled "by Staff Writers" include reports supplied to Space Media Network by industry news wires, PR agencies, corporate press officers and the like. Such articles are individually curated and edited by Space Media Network staff on the basis of the report's information value to our industry and professional readership. Advertising does not imply endorsement, agreement or approval of any opinions, statements or information provided by Space Media Network on any Web page published or hosted by Space Media Network. General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) Statement Our advertisers use various cookies and the like to deliver the best ad banner available at one time. All network advertising suppliers have GDPR policies (Legitimate Interest) that conform with EU regulations for data collection. By using our websites you consent to cookie based advertising. If you do not agree with this then you must stop using the websites from May 25, 2018. Privacy Statement. Additional information can be found here at About Us.