Greece on Monday declared an emergency on Monday on the island of Chios, where hundreds of firefighters are fighting to extinguish the fires that are ravaging for the next day, given that the wind has intensified the fire, causing current interruptions and evacuating the inhabitants.
Strong fires on Chios Island Photo: X
“Yesterday's situation on the island is quite difficult, because we are constantly new fronts and recurrences (outbreaks), and the climatic conditions are not favorable”, said Yiannis Kefalogiannis, Minister of Climatic Crisis and Civil Protection, on his arrival in Chios.
He confirmed that 170 additional firefighters will strengthen the 11 teams of approximately 190 firefighters on the island in the northeast of the Aegean, who were trying to prevent the fire at housing and known areas for the production of mastiha, a natural resin harvested from mastic trees. Thirty additional vehicles will strengthen the 38 already mobilized vehicles, assisted by 13 helicopters and four fire extinguishing jets, said Kefalogiannis, writes News.
The wind gusts complicated the efforts to extinguish the fires, which destroyed forests and pastures as they headed north, west and south of Chios, the capital of the island, causing current interruptions and forcing hundreds of locals to escape to shelter.
Kefalogiannis said the authorities will investigate the causes of fires that broke out in different geographical areas of the island.
Located in the southern extremity of Europe, Greece has felt the economic and ecological impact of frequent fires in recent years, which, according to scientists, have been aggravated by rapid climate change. The country has spent hundreds of millions of euros to compensate households and farmers for damages caused by extreme meteorological phenomena and to modernize fire extinguishing equipment. This year he hired a record number of firefighters, about 18,000, in anticipating a difficult season in terms of fire.
