18 Killed; 13 Communities Evacuated In Greece As Powerful Winds Threaten to Spark More Destructive Wildfires

At least 13 communities in a city in Greece have been evacuated as wildfires threaten the area. The worse part was that 18 bodies were found in a forest following the deadly blaze.

Powerful winds as well as extreme high temperatures continue to cause destructive wildfires in various areas in the past days.

Authorities said that the fatalities, who were believed to be migrants, were found in the Dadia forest situated in northern Greece. Probers are already looking into the death of the victims.

Initial information stated that officials discovered the bodies when firefighting personnel had he fire inspected how parts of the forest, close to the village of Avantas, had been reduced to ruins.

In Alexandroupolis, residents of the 13 communities were evacuated to ensure their safety as the blaze bring risk in the area.

The blaze in Alexandroupolis could be considered as one of the worst fires; prompting the massive and forced evacuation of residents.

Fire warnings

Meanwhile, authorities have also raised extreme fire risk warnings across several regions in the southern portion of the country, including Athens. The city capital has been experiencing scorching temperatures during the summer season, specifically this week as it nears 40 degree Celsius.

Several warehouses in Althens were also ravaged by flames, including an industrial area in Aspropyrgos. It was also observed in the Attica Highway that the sky became dark with acrid smoke.

Moreover, there were also fires reported in the eastern Rhodope region as well as in the northern city of Kavala.

Still in Alexandroupolis, the blaze had struck university hospitals, prompting Greek authorities to deploy a fleet of ambulances and buses to save and transfer around 115 patients.

According to Copernicus, more than 8,500 hectares were burned in East Macedonia and three villages have been evacuated in Evia. The Rapid Mapping Team of Copernicus also continue to receive wildfire activations in various areas in the county.

Climate change

While it is common for Greece to encounter summer wildfires, experts warned that the rising frequency and intensity of the recent weather events has something to do with climate change.

European Union Commissioner for Crisis Management Janez Lenarcic said that Greece, so far, has experienced its worst wildfires since 2008.

The official pointed out that the burnt area was larger compared to what was damaged in the previous years. Further, the wildfires at present were more violent and intense.

The European Commission already mobilized additional firefighting resources to help in the ongoing efforts of Greek firefighters. Five of its firefighting airplanes, which were stationed in Croatia, Germany and Sweden, as well as one Blackhawk helicopter are already en route to Greece.

Further, 58 firefighters and nine water tanks from Czechia are also being deployed to the wildfire-stricken country.

"Greece is witnessing an unprecedented scale of wildfire devastation this summer and in such trying times the EU's swift assistance is vital. Today, we can see the real-life significance of having doubled our rescEU aerial firefighting fleet for this wildfire season," Lenarcic said in a press release.

The EU earlier deployed seven airplanes, one helicopter, 114 firefighters and 19 vehicles to assist respond measures in Greece due to the wildfires.

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