Hundreds of firefighters struggled on Monday to contain wildfires fueled by fierce winds across Greece, as authorities warned that most regions face the risk of new fires breaking out. The fire brigade reported that over 200 firefighters, supported by 17 aircraft, are combating wildfires that have been raging for the third day near the coastal city of Alexandroupolis, where 13 areas have been evacuated as a precaution since the fire broke out on Saturday.
The fire brigade indicated that approximately 64 fires erupted across Greece in the past 24 hours. Fire brigade spokesman Ioannis Artopios stated, "We are on alert and will continue to be tomorrow due to extremely high temperatures and strong winds." He added, "We are facing extreme phenomena." Cyprus has announced it will send two firefighting planes.
Farmers are constructing firebreaks to try to slow down an uncontrollable fire that has been raging for two days in Alexandroupolis, Greece. A state of emergency was declared and 13 villages were evacuated.
It is common for wildfires to ignite in Greece during the summer, but they have worsened in recent years due to hot and dry weather conditions, along with exceptional winds linked by scientists to climate change. Over 20,000 foreign tourists had to be evacuated from the tourist island of Rhodes in July when wildfires burned for a week, destroying hotels and resorts.
