Greece is hit by "
the worst heat wave since 1987
", more than 30 years ago, warned Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis, while the mercury was to reach 45 degrees Monday August 2 in some regions.
Scorching temperatures which maintain a high risk of fire everywhere in Greece.
On the tourist island of Rhodes and in the northwestern Peloponnese, Greek firefighters were struggling to bring two major forest fires under control.
Read also: Greece: nearly 300 firefighters fighting a fire in the Peloponnese
More than 3,000 hectares of pine forests and olive groves burned down in two days in Achaia, near Patras, on the Peloponnese peninsula, 200 km from Athens, according to estimates by the National Observatory of Athens, which s' is based on images from the European environmental satellite Sentinel-2.
This area could increase further because the fire, which left eight lightly injured and burned a dozen houses, was not completely under control on Monday, the weather services told the Greek agency ANA.
The "very high" fire risk
The heatwave that hit Greece complicates the task of firefighters in this region where the vegetation is dried up by the heat. The General Secretariat for Civil Protection established the fire risk at a "
very high
"
level
on Monday over most of the country, in particular the Athens region, the Peloponnese, Crete and the Aegean Islands.
In Rhodes, in the south-eastern Aegean Sea, authorities were optimistic, saying the fire that broke out in the center of the island on Sunday was waning on Monday, under the effect of a large reinforcement in the night of the personnel and the means of fight against the fire. Four water bombers and helicopters began their ballet very early Monday in the Pandanassa region where the fire started, according to civil protection. “
Dawn finds Rhodes much better than the day before. The (various) fronts (of the fire) are in recession
"and"
almost under control,
"South Aegean Governor George Chatzimarkos said in a statement Monday morning. "
The first objective: the protection of human life,
has been achieved "and"
the damage to the electricity network has been repaired,
”he said, according to the ANA.
More than a hundred firefighters mobilized
As a precaution, firefighters evacuated Butterfly Valley, a wooded area in the center of this Dodecanese island, which traditionally attracts hikers and tourists on Sunday.
“
We continue our work this morning (Monday), with strengthened forces and inexhaustible endurance.
There is no reason to panic,
”added George Chatzimarkos.
More than a hundred firefighters, assisted by 20 vehicles, three planes and six helicopters, were mobilized Monday morning in Rhodes, according to civil protection.
The land forces were to be further reinforced in the next few hours by around fifty firefighters and 14 vehicles coming by boat from Piraeus, the port of Athens, according to the same source.
Read also: The unexpected cost of heatwaves
Since Thursday, Greece has been going through a scorching period which is expected to peak on Monday and Tuesday, according to weather forecasts. It had been affected by a similar heat wave in July 1987, which mainly affected Athens and killed more than a thousand, due to the lack of air conditioning and air pollution.
