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Greece in flames: Hundreds evacuated by ferry from the burning island of Avia - Walla! news

2021-08-08T06:46:28.986Z


Firefighters were unable to contain the large fire on an island near the capital Athens, and residents and tourists were put on ferries that brought them to a safe shore. "A nightmarish summer," the prime minister said of the fires raging across the country. In Turkey, rains have brought relief to some of the fire hotspots


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Greece in flames: Hundreds were evacuated by ferry from the burning island of Avia

Firefighters were unable to contain the large fire on an island near the capital Athens, and residents and tourists were put on ferries that brought them to a safe shore.

"A nightmarish summer," the prime minister said of the fires raging across the country.

In Turkey, rains have brought relief to some of the fire hotspots

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  • Greece

  • Fires

  • Climate change

Reuters

Sunday, 08 August 2021, 08:54

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The fires in Greece continued to burn yesterday (Saturday) for the fifth day in a row, destroying areas on the island of Avia, the second largest in the country. Hundreds of people were evacuated by ferries in front of apocalyptic sights, and locals joined firefighters in their fight against the flames.



The fire that broke out on Tuesday on an island east of Athens quickly spread to several fronts, consuming thousands of acres of pristine forests in the north and forcing the evacuation of dozens of villages. "The situation is very difficult," Central Greek Governor Panis Spanos told Sky. "The northern front crosses the island from end to end."



Forest fires have broken out in many parts of Greece, amid the heaviest heat wave that has plagued the country for more than 30 years, and Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsutakis called it a "nightmarish summer." According to him, the top priority of his government is first and foremost the protection of human life. He added that the government plans to compensate those affected by the fires and reforest the burned areas.



A man died in Athens on Friday, after being injured by a power pole that collapsed on him, and at least nine other people were injured.

The sky was painted red.

Ferry evacuates people from Avia Island, Friday (Photo: Reuters)

The most burning fronts are in Avia and the Peloponnese, including Arcadia and Ancient Olympia, the site of the ancient Olympic Games.

On the outskirts of Athens, strong winds caused a fire to spread into the town of Throcomidonis, whose inhabitants were required to evacuate their homes.

The fire left houses and vehicles burned among scorched pine trees, and a cloud of smoke billowed into the beer sky.

"It's really bad," said Thansis Claudis, a town resident.

"All of Greece is burning."



The fire at the foot of Mount Printha north of Athens has led to the evacuation of thousands of residents since Thursday.

It faded in the afternoon yesterday, but winds are expected to strengthen and there is a heavy fear that the fire will erupt again.

"We can not be complacent about the situation again," Deputy Defense Secretary Nikos Hardlias said during an emergency briefing.

"We are fighting a very difficult battle."

"We are fighting a very difficult battle."

Burned forest near the village of Limni, on the island of Avia (Photo: Reuters)

Residents in the northern suburbs of Athens were forced to leave their homes in a hurry, with the few belongings they could take.

"Our business, our home, all our property is there. I hope they do not burn," said Yorgos Papaiano, 26, sitting in a parking lot with his girlfriend while the ashes fell from the smoke-filled sky.



Military forces are assisting firefighters, and Greece has received assistance from several countries, including Cyprus, France and Israel.

Germany said it was sending firefighters to arrive within days.

Turkey: The rains have eased fires

Neighboring Turkey is also battling devastating forest fires, which President Recep Tayyip Erdogan says are the worst in the country's history.

Eight people perished in fires that destroyed Turkey's southwestern coastal sites, destroyed tens of thousands of dunams and forced thousands of residents and tourists to leave their homes and hotels.



Five fires were still burning yesterday, a lower number compared to previous days.

At the Mediterranean resort of Navagat, where the first fires broke out ten days ago, crews were able to put out the latest fires thanks to rains that hit the area.

West of there, in the Mugla province off the coast of the Aegean, four fires were still raging against the backdrop of the ongoing, dry heat wave.

Another fire is still burning in Esparta.

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Source: walla

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