The European Union's Copernicus Climate Change Service announced today, Tuesday, that a forest fire ongoing for 11 days in northeastern Greece has consumed an area larger than that of New York City. The fire, which started near the city of Alexandroupolis, has spread rapidly throughout the Evros region, fueled by strong winds and hot weather, resulting in at least 20 deaths last week, making it the deadliest wildfire in Europe this summer. It has transformed vast green areas into scorched land and destroyed homes.
The Copernicus Emergency Management Service reported on the platform "X" that the fire has affected 808.7 square kilometers of land, while New York City covers an area of 778.2 square kilometers. Last week, Copernicus stated that this was the largest fire ever recorded in Europe in years. It is believed that all deaths, except for one case, are of illegal migrants crossing from Turkey fleeing police into the forest. Authorities fear finding more bodies as the fires are extinguished, given that Evros is known as a passage for thousands of migrants and refugees to EU countries each year.
The firefighting service reported that a plane and hundreds of ground firefighting teams from Serbia, Slovakia, the Czech Republic, and Albania are battling the flames. Authorities warned that the risks associated with the fire remain significant as of today, Tuesday.
