The Greek Prime Minister warns of a dangerous summer with fires

Photo taken by Reuters

The Prime Minister of Greece, Kyriakos Mitsotakis, said that his country faces a dangerous summer in terms of fires.

Wildfires are common in this Mediterranean country, but hotter, drier and windier weather, which scientists attribute to the effects of climate change, has increased their frequency and intensity.

Last weekend, dozens of fires broke out across Greece, including two near the capital Athens.

"It is a summer that is expected to be particularly dangerous... more difficult times are ahead of us," Mitsotakis said, addressing his cabinet.

"We have had a very difficult June in terms of weather conditions, with severe droughts and extremely strong winds for the season," he said, and praised the firefighters who managed to contain the weekend fires.

Greece stepped up preparations for this year, hiring more staff, after last year forest fires forced about 19,000 people from the island of Rhodes and killed about 20 people in the north of the country.

"The public, too, must be involved in this collective defense against natural hazards," said Mitsotakis./REL 

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