77,000 Hectares Of Land Scorched By Greece's Wildfires; Experts Say It's One Of Europe's Largest Blaze

A total of 77,000 hectares of land have been reduced to ashes due to the massive wildfires being experienced in Greece.

According to Copernicus, the massive blaze has a total of 120 active hot spots as it continues to rage many parts of Greece.

The wild flames has since destroyed vast tracts of forest and scorched residences that are located in the outlying areas of the city of Alexandroupolis.

Largest recorded in Europe

Authorities have branded the wildfires in northeastern Greece, near Alexandroupolis, as one of the largest flames that was ever recorded in the history of Europe.

It brought massive damage in the Dadia National Park and resulted in the evacuation of around 15,000 individuals

More than 600 firefighting personnel, including the reinforcements coming from several European countries, have been battling the three major wildfires in Greece in which two have been causing damage for days.

These firefighters were supported by water-dropping planes and helicopters so that the fire will be easily contained.

Greece has since asked for help from other European countries to address and mitigate these wildfires.

So far, Germany, Sweden, Croatia and Cyprus have sent aircraft, while dozens of firefighters from Romania, France, the Czech Republic, Bulgaria, Albania, Slovakia and Serbia have been deployed to help fire personnel on the ground.

The death toll in this massive blaze has already climbed to 21, according to authorities.

Included in the fatalities were the 18 individuals, believed to be migrants, that were found in Dadia forest situated in northern Greece.

Meanwhile, security forced had made 79 arson arrests as these individuals were supposedly starting new fires in Mount Parnitha, which is located northwest of Athens.

Earlier, the Greek government already said that tougher penalties would be imposed on arson as it aims to dissuade potential criminals and bring those responsible for damaging fires to justice.

Authorities noted that the majority of the 667 fires which earlier erupted across Greece in recent weeks were ignited "by human hand."

Start of wildfires

Experts from Copernicus said that Greece has been affected by significant wildfires since August 2, following the fires which struck Rhodes and Attica in the middle of July.

They noted that the most recent of these fire episode have been observed in the East Macedonia and Boeotia regions, noting that they were clearly observed by visible imagery and active fire detections from satellites since August 20.

Scientists further noted that the wildfire emissions that authorities had monitored in Greece over the last few days of August were occurring at a similar time during late summer, similar to the major fires that affected the country in 2007 and 2021.

Experts said that winds and temperatures at this time created conditions that were conductive to increased wildfire activity.

As Europe currently experiences hot summers, its southern countries are particularly prone to wildfires.

European officials have blamed climate breakdown for the increasing frequency and intensity of the wildfires being experienced in Europe, saying that 2022 was the second worst year for wildfire damage on record after 2017.

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