A fire that has ravaged the Thadia forest in northeastern Greece for more than a week is still “out of control,” firefighters said Monday. Another fire is still burning on Mount Barnes, north of the capital Athens.
“Nearly 500 firefighters with 100 vehicles, seven aircraft and three helicopters are battling the blaze,” a fire department spokesman said. The front of the fire covers a distance of almost 10 km, firefighters on site estimate.
The fire, reported on August 19, is in the Evros region on the border with Turkey, near the port city of Alexandroupoli. 19 suspected migrants, including two children, were found dead north of the city last week.
On Sunday, the European Copernicus Observatory (EMS) estimated that the fire had already destroyed “77,000 hectares”. A few days ago, the Greek Civil Defense ordered the evacuation of some villages in the area.
“Environmental Destruction”
Three ministers, including Civil Protection, Yannis Oikonomo, and Agricultural Development, Lefteris Avgenakis, went to Alexandroupoli, the capital of Evros, on Monday to assess the damage.
“The environmental devastation after this fire will be incalculable,” Panagiotis Kalakikos, the mayor of the small town of Sofli, lamented last week.
A national park of the European Natura 2000 network, the protected forest of Thadiya is known as an important habitat for birds of prey. It is also vital to the local economy as it supports logging, beekeeping and tourism activities.
According to experts, because the vegetation is so dense in this area, the flames are often invisible and the water from firefighters often does not reach the burning stoves on the ground.
>> Review the headline on the fires in Greece on August 23 at 7:30 p.m.:
More than 250 firefighters are involved north of Athens
In addition, a forest fire affecting Mount Barnes, one of the capital’s green lungs, north of Athens, “burned on Monday” for a sixth consecutive day, the fire department said, adding that “270 firefighters, a water bomber and a helicopter are battling to extinguish the blaze there.
Greece has been hit by numerous fires this summer, which the government blames on climate change.
More than 120,000 hectares have been burned so far, according to estimates by the Greek National Observatory – three times the annual average since 2006, for its part EMS.
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