Athena, Aug 2 (SANA) Wildfires continued to spread across Greece for a second consecutive week, burning about 12,000 hectares of forests and agricultural land as firefighters battled multiple blazes that forced thousands of residents to evacuate.
According to the National Observatory of Athens, cited by Agence France-Presse (AFP), more than 6,500 hectares were destroyed in separate wildfires in the Gulf of Corinth region. The fires spread to the coastal village of Porto Germeno, west of Athens, prompting the evacuation of the village and several neighboring communities, while dozens of homes were damaged or destroyed.
Greek Civil Protection Minister Evangelos Tournas said strong winds had created extremely difficult conditions for firefighting operations, often preventing aircraft from effectively combating the flames because of severe air turbulence.
Tournas said about 500 firefighters had been deployed to battle the blaze in the Porto Germeno area, adding that emergency services were mobilizing all available resources to contain the fires and prevent them from spreading further.
He warned that the wildfire risk remains high in the Greater Athens area and in the regions of Boeotia and Evia, where hot, dry and windy weather continues to fuel the spread of the fires.
Several countries across southern Europe have experienced prolonged heatwaves in recent weeks, accompanied by drought and strong winds that have intensified wildfires, causing widespread environmental and economic damage, destroying vast areas of forests and agricultural land, and forcing the evacuation of thousands of residents and tourists. Authorities have warned that the wildfire threat is likely to persist throughout the summer.
R.D/RK
