Massive Wildfires Devastate Greece and Europe: Urgent Evacuations Underway
A series of destructive wildfires have wreaked havoc across Greece and parts of Europe, resulting in historic levels of damage and triggering urgent evacuation efforts. The wildfires, fueled by scorching temperatures and strong winds, have engulfed homes and vast swathes of forest, leaving authorities scrambling to bring the situation under control.
In the Alexandroupolis region of Greece, a major wildfire has been burning for six days, merging with smaller fires to create an unprecedented blaze that has consumed homes and decimated forests. The scale of the destruction is staggering, with over 282 square miles already devastated. The European Commissioner for Crisis Management, Janez Lenarcic, described it as the largest wildfire in the history of the European Union.
Meanwhile, other parts of Europe have also faced the wrath of these raging wildfires. Spain’s Canary Islands and northwestern Turkey have been battling their own fires, although officials have reported progress in containing them.
In Greece alone, firefighters have been grappling with 104 fires in the span of just 24 hours, with 69 of them being new wildfires. One particularly significant blaze on the outskirts of the Greek capital, Athens, scorched homes and encroached upon the cherished Mount Parnitha national park. While the situation has somewhat improved, firefighters are still dealing with flare-ups.
Amid the chaos, Greek authorities have pointed to arson as the cause of some of these devastating fires near Athens. Greece’s Climate Crisis and Civil Protection Minister, Vassilis Kikilias, expressed outrage at the deliberate acts of arson, labeling them as not only unacceptable but also despicable and criminal. In fact, nine fires were intentionally set in just four hours in the Avlona area alone.
To combat these overwhelming wildfires, Greece has requested assistance from other European countries. Germany, Sweden, Croatia, and Cyprus have sent aircraft, while a multitude of firefighters from Romania, France, the Czech Republic, Bulgaria, Albania, and Slovakia are lending their expertise on the ground.
Greece has a history of destructive wildfires during the scorching summer months. In 2018, an unsuspecting seaside resort near Athens was engulfed in flames, claiming the lives of 104 people. Since then, authorities have erred on the side of caution, ordering evacuations whenever inhabited areas are under threat.
The escalating frequency and intensity of these wildfires in Europe have led EU officials to attribute them to climate change. They argue that the blazes witnessed in 2022 rank as the second-worst year for wildfire damage on record, second only to 2017.
In Spain’s Tenerife, firefighters are making progress in containing a fire that has already scorched 58 square miles. The regional president, Fernando Clavijo, expressed relief as the fire failed to expand for the first time in over a week. Most of the 12,000 people who were forced to evacuate can now return to their homes, although around 200 are still unable to do so.
In northwestern Turkey, firefighters have managed to bring a wildfire under control within 48 hours of its eruption. The fire had forced the evacuation of 11 villages and caused significant damage to agricultural land.
With shipping traffic through the Dardanelles Strait impacted by the firefighting efforts in Turkey, partial restoration to one lane has been possible. Fire-dousing aircrafts rely on this waterway to refill their tanks, temporarily suspending the flow of maritime travel.
As Europe battles these destructive wildfires and grapples with their aftermath, it is evident that greater attention must be given to prevention and preparedness efforts. The need to address climate change and its impact on the devastating wildfires plaguing the region has never been more urgent.
