Greece battles wildfires for fifth day amid heatwave

Greece is struggling to contain wildfires west of Athens as they continued to rage on the fifth day on Friday (July 21). The country is experiencing another heatwave. Reuters quoted fire service official who said that concerns have grown after the fire severely damaged more than 100 houses and businesses. Another fire near Athens was put out earlier by the authorities.

Relief measures for afflicted households were announced by the government on Friday. These included financial aid and subsidies to rent houses.

Reuters spoke with a 63-year-old Dimitris Michaelos whose home was saved. He refused to leave his home when authorities asked hundreds of residents to evacuate.

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Michaelos says the lack of prevention of wildfires is to be blamed for the current situation. Wildfires destroy property each year in Greece.

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In 2022, Greece drastically increased spending onfire prevention and preparedness, and created a climate crisis bureau for the first time.

The programme involved creating and maintaining anti-fire zones, increase in patrolling and exercises to boost fire readiness. An EU-coordinated “pre-positioning project”, where firefighters from EU member states are stationed on rotation inside the country throughout the summer is also in effect.

European countries are taking steps to help Greece battle the flames. On Friday, reinforcements were to arrive from countries like Cyprus, France, Israel, Romania, Poland, Slovakia, and Italy. The reinforcements include firefighters and aircraft.

The Greek authorities have appealed people to remain on guard. Risk of wildfires remains high in the coming days. In addition, high temperatures are forecast following on from previous heatwave.

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"We are having a very difficult three-day spell, Friday, Saturday and Sunday, with extreme weather conditions and very high temperatures followed by strong winds," said Vassilis Kikilias, the Climate Crisis Minister. He added that after a short respite, another heatwave is likely to strike in the middle of next week.

The 'hottest' capital in Europe

Athens has become one of Europe's hottest capitals as the residents face heatwaves amid shrinking green spaces. Experts are warning that despite Athens' vulnerability to high temperatures, the city has failed to make environmental innovations.

Residents and visitors in the city have had to tackle scorching heat. The weekend forecast says that the mercury will reach the high of 40 degrees Celsius (104 Fahrenheit). This has prompted authorities to close the Acropoli and some major parks.

In 2007, the more than three million residents of the city experienced a record high temperature of 44.8ºC.

(With inputs from agencies)

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