Published: Less than 20 min ago
Several large forest fires are raging in the over 40-degree heat in Greece.
On the tourist island of Lesbos, hundreds of people have been evacuated.
– It is an explosive cocktail of drought, high temperatures and strong winds, says Yiannis Artopoios, spokesperson for the fire brigade.
In recent days, Great Britain and several countries on the Mediterranean have been affected by severe forest fires in the extreme heat.
In Greece, the situation is very strained. Since last Friday, 141 fires have been reported, states the EPT news site. The heat wave is expected to hold its grip on the country for the next ten days with temperatures above 42 degrees in several regions, according to AFP.
Evacuations on Lesvos
On Sunday, the emergency services put extra effort into fighting the biggest fires.
check On the tourist island of Lesbos, where a huge fire broke out on Saturday, more than 650 residents and tourists have been evacuated from the villages of Vatera and Vrisa, writes TT. Also in Crete, a major fire has been raging in a ravine for several days, according to AFP.
check Three villages and a summer camp for children were evacuated on Sunday near the archaeological sites at ancient Olympia, about 30 miles southwest of Athens. There, several fires grew in strength. Firefighters are fighting them both from the air and on the ground, but hope that the northwesterly winds will at least push the fire away from the historic temple grounds.
check Another fire rages on three fronts in the Dadia National Park in northeastern Greece, near the Turkish border. On Sunday, almost 500 hectares of land had been destroyed and in the evening the fire gained new momentum, forcing residents who were able to return to their homes to flee a second time, TT reports. A monastery in the area has also been evacuated and by evening the fire had reached the national park’s information center, according to the newspaper Amna.
Expert: “It’s happening now”
The fires are raging on the fourth anniversary of the disaster in the popular resort of Mati when 102 people died. It has aroused particularly strong feelings among experts and the general public.
Thodoris Giannaros, researcher at the Athens National Climate Observatory, says the fires can be linked to climate change.
– This is why we are talking about a climate crisis. The change is not something that will happen sometime in the future. It has already started. It’s happening now, he says according to the Greek Reporter.