European firefighters and aircraft have joined the efforts to combat the wildfires that have claimed the lives of 20 individuals in Greece.

 

Water-dropping planes from multiple European nations have joined the ranks of hundreds of firefighters who are engaged in combating the wildfires that have been raging across Greece for several days, resulting in a death toll of 20 individuals. Additionally, significant infernos are currently ablaze in Spain's Tenerife and in the northwestern region of Turkey...

Water-dropping planes dispatched from various European countries teamed up with hundreds of firefighters on Wednesday to combat the wildfires that have been raging across Greece for several days, resulting in a tragic death toll of 20 people. Meanwhile, substantial infernos continued to blaze in Spain's Tenerife and the northwestern region of Turkey, close to the Greek border. Greece's largest active forest fire has been uncontrollably burning for the fifth consecutive day near the city of Alexandroupolis in the northeastern part of the country. Simultaneously, authorities were striving to prevent a fire on the northwestern outskirts of Athens from encroaching upon homes and reaching the Parnitha National Park, one of the last remaining green spaces near the Greek capital. Over the past three days, a staggering 209 wildfires have erupted across Greece, according to Ioannis Artopios, a spokesperson for the fire department. These blazes, exacerbated by strong gale-force winds and the hot, dry conditions of summer, have necessitated the evacuation of numerous villages as well as the main hospital in Alexandroupolis. Despite the gradual subsiding of gale-force winds in many regions, the risk of new fires remains alarmingly high. "Conditions remain challenging and, in many instances, extreme," Artopios remarked. Firefighters, while searching through areas recently consumed by flames in the Alexandroupolis vicinity, tragically discovered the remains of 18 individuals believed to be migrants within a forest on Tuesday. An additional two individuals were found deceased on Monday, one in northern Greece and the other in a separate fire incident in central Greece.

With firefighting resources severely strained, Greece issued a call for assistance from fellow European nations. In response, Germany, Sweden, Croatia, and Cyprus dispatched water-dropping aircraft, while Romania and the Czech Republic contributed dozens of firefighters and water tanks. Evacuation mandates were issued for multiple areas on the northwestern outskirts of the Greek capital, as a wildfire that ignited on Tuesday swiftly ascended a mountain towards the Parnitha National Park. The blaze posed a threat to a military base in the region and encroached upon homes situated in the foothills. A comprehensive response effort was underway, involving over 200 firefighters, a combination of volunteers, military personnel, and police forces, eight helicopters, and seven planes. Among the aircraft were two from Germany and two from Sweden. The fire in Alexandroupolis, located near Greece's eastern border with Turkey, persisted uncontrollably. A group of Romanian firefighters, reinforced by eight helicopters and five planes, including two from Cyprus, joined the battle against the relentless flames. Just across the border in Turkey's Canakkale province, robust winds exacerbated a wildfire that was already burning for its second consecutive day. As a precautionary measure, an elderly care facility was evacuated, along with over 1,250 individuals from nine villages. Additionally, a highway was closed down. The effects of smoke exposure led to more than 80 individuals receiving medical treatment in hospitals.

Ibrahim Yumakli, Turkey's Minister of Forestry, stated that firefighting teams, supported by over twenty fire-suppressing planes and helicopters, have largely contained the blaze, preventing it from spreading beyond the 1,500 hectares (15 square kilometers) it has already affected. Maritime traffic through the narrow Dardanelles Strait, connecting the Aegean Sea to the Sea of Marmara, has been temporarily halted as the water-dropping aircraft utilize it for refilling, as mentioned by the minister. Isolated fires have also been reported in Italy, which is grappling with an ongoing heatwave projected to persist through the weekend, with temperatures exceeding 38 degrees Celsius (100 degrees Fahrenheit) in many cities. In the Ligurian coastal town of Sanremo, a popular summer destination, forty firefighters and three aircraft were combating a brush fire that ignited early Wednesday. Fortunately, no injuries or property damage have been reported. Given their arid and hot summers, southern European nations are especially susceptible to wildfires. European Union officials have attributed the escalating frequency and intensity of wildfires in Europe to climate change. They noted that 2022 marked the second-worst year for wildfire-related damage on record, following 2017. Additionally, a significant fire has been raging for over a week on Tenerife, part of Spain's Canary Islands. This inferno has scorched an area of approximately 150 square kilometers (nearly 58 square miles), including an estimated one-third of the island's woodlands.