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Civil Defense Minister Vassilis Kikilias told ANT1 television that civil defense men and women fought the flames “day and night”. Strong winds and another heat wave expected from Thursday could further exacerbate the situation, he warned and called on the population to be extremely vigilant.
In addition to two large fires that have been raging since Monday in the Dervenohoria forest about 50 kilometers north of Athens and in the region around the spa town of Loutraki, another large fire broke out in Rhodes on Tuesday afternoon.
Despite the deployment of nearly 90 firefighters, three firefighting planes and three helicopters, the fire spread to the center of the island, fire spokesman Vassilis Vathrakogiannis said early Wednesday morning. Residential areas are “currently” not under threat.
According to the spokesperson, the EU Civil Protection Mechanism, which regulates cooperation with the European Union in the field of civil protection, has now been activated. France and Italy have already sent firefighting planes.
Because of the fires, Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis returned to Greece early Tuesday evening from the EU-Latin America summit in Brussels. In the late morning he wanted to know more about the situation in the Civil Protection Coordination Center.
Greece has been struggling with the first heat wave of the year since the end of last week. From Thursday, the weather service expects a second wave with temperatures of up to 44 degrees.
However, the associated drought also increases the risk of wildfires. Fire spokesman Vathrakogiannis spoke of a “very high risk”, especially in the region around Athens, in Attica, on the island of Crete and on the Peloponnese peninsula.
The fire service reported a total of 47 fires that had broken out in the past 24 hours on Tuesday evening. But most were removed quickly and easily. (AFP)
Source: Blick
I am Amelia James, a passionate journalist with a deep-rooted interest in current affairs. I have more than five years of experience in the media industry, working both as an author and editor for 24 Instant News. My main focus lies in international news, particularly regional conflicts and political issues around the world.
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