Greece continues to struggle Sunday with three major wildfires in the north, south and east, fearing more disasters due to the heat wave that hit the country.
On the island of Lesvos, a fire that broke out on Saturday continues, forcing the evacuation of hundreds of tourists and residents of the seaside resort of Vatera, firefighters said. ERT reported that at least four houses were destroyed. Greece has been hit by a heat wave since Saturday that is expected to last ten days, with temperatures reaching 42 degrees Celsius in some areas, raising concerns about more fires.
In the north of the country, for the fourth day in a row, firefighters, with the help of volunteers, continue to extinguish a massive fire in the Dadia National Park, known as the Eagle Colony. A fire official said the fire, which was exceptionally strong, forced authorities to evacuate the village of Dadia on Saturday evening.
In the Peloponnese, the village of Chrysokelaria was evacuated on Saturday evening due to a fire near Koroni, and work continues on Sunday to extinguish it. A forest fire in the mountains near Athens on Wednesday damaged several houses and forced several hundred people to flee. The spread of these weather events occurs as a result of global warming, according to scientists, in light of the increase in greenhouse gas emissions in terms of intensity, duration and frequency. Heat waves and wildfires last year destroyed 103,000 hectares and killed three people in Greece.
