Fires in Greece, the biggest ever recorded in the EU

2023-08-29 20:22:07, Kosova & Bota CNA

The European Union's civil protection mechanism said on Tuesday it had sent 12 planes, 400 firefighters and 60 vehicles to Greece to help fight the fires, which are said to be Europe's biggest ever. Fires in northeastern Greece, which have been raging for 11 days, have destroyed an area larger than New York City, European authorities said.

The European Union announced that more than 81,000 hectares had burned in the northeastern area of ??Greece, calling it the biggest fire since the start of recording fires in 2000 by the European Forest Fire Information System.

"The European Commission is coordinating aid efforts on various fronts through the EU Civil Protection Mechanism across Europe. Especially in Greece we are facing the biggest fire ever recorded in the European Union. There are about 20 maps of the areas affected by the fires, according to the European satellite system, Copernicus" , says the spokesperson of the European Commission, Balazs Ujvari.

Fires in northeastern Greece, raging for 11 days, have destroyed an area larger than New York City, the European Union's Climate Change Service Corpernicus said on Tuesday.

The Copernicus service wrote on the X social network that the fires have burned an area of ??at least 808 square kilometers. New York City covers an area of ??about 778 square kilometers.

At least 20 people have lost their lives. Most of the victims are believed to be migrants trying to cross the mountains from Turkey to avoid the police.

Authorities fear there could be more victims. Airplanes and firefighters from different countries of the region, including from Albania, are fighting the flames. Authorities say fire risks remain high.

The government says the conditions, which scientists attribute to climate change, have made the fires even more intense this year.

Meanwhile, residents in a suburb of Athens have hired a company that uses long-range drones equipped with cameras and specialized computer programs to detect fires.

It is a tried and tested operation before. The drones, built with the help of a commercial airline pilot and backed by the mayor of a coastal area of ??Athens, were put into use last year. These drones have been providing early warnings of wildfires since their introduction over 18 months ago.

"The positive side of this drone program is that we don't waste time to inform the center about the start of mobilization. The drones provide us with the views from the points where there is smoke or fires and we inform the firefighters automatically if we go to verify or put out the fires and in case we need reinforcements", says Giorgos Dertilis, head of the volunteer fire brigade unit of the area.

Drones fly around the clock and pilots work six-hour shifts. The local government says that other municipalities and counties are showing interest in the drone program./ VOA