After a first series of fires in July, Greece is facing a second wave of fires these days. Greek firefighters are hard at work on several fronts, in particular in the Alexandroupoli sector, in the north of the country, but also in Attica, the Athens region, towards Mount Parnes.
2 mins
With our special correspondent near the municipality of Ano Liosia, Joel Bronner
At the foot of Mount Parnes, north of Athens, the landscape is made up of bare trees and charred earth: several hills around Ano Liosia bear the scars of the fire that devastated them.
It is in this ghostly environment, near sheepfolds where the corpses of goats lie and where a tenacious smell of burning floats, that Kostas and Maria try to help as best they can, in search of animals to rescue. Behind some rocks, they have just found a silent puppy, unable to bark.
Read alsoFires in Greece: 18 suspected migrants found dead in the northeast, several places evacuated
” Since yesterday, we have found two puppies like this and turtles. That’s all. Today, despite our best efforts, we found no other living animals. Every summer in Greece, it’s the same thing. When the wind starts to blow, we are faced with this type of fire. When it’s windy, it’s very difficult to put out the flames anyway. And since yesterday, here, there are only three helicopters fighting the fire. So how do you turn it off? “laments Kostas.
North of the Greek capital, since Tuesday August 22, the ballet of these helicopters continues, while a thick plume of smoke stubbornly refuses to leave the sky. This summer, Greece is not yet done with the fires.
Read alsoFires: what assessment does Greece draw from its crisis management?