The impressive before and after satellite photos of the Greek island destroyed by forest fires

Two satellite images show the scale of the ecological disaster on the Greek island of Evia, whose woodland has been ravaged by fires which has been taking place in the Mediterranean country for weeks.

The photo was posted by Copernicus, a European Union Earth observation program that look at the planet and its environment for the benefit of all citizens of the Old Continent.

Copernicus uses global data from satellites and ground, air and sea measurement systems provide information that helps service providers, governments and other international organizations to improve the quality of life of European citizens.

The published images show the extent of forest destruction by forest fires in a comparison between 1 and 11 August 2021 on the island of Evia.

Evia is a coastal island in Greece located off the eastern coast of the Aegean Sea. It has an area of 3,900 square kilometers inhabited by approximately 210,000 people. It’s the sixth largest island in the Mediterranean Sea.

The island recorded this Friday a new fire south of the area where another, which was still active after 10 days, decimated forests and burnt houses.

Four seaplanes and six helicopters were mobilized to control the new fire in central Evia, in addition to a ground crew with 23 firefighters and 10 vehicles, the country’s fire department reported.

The previous fire, which started on August 3, destroyed most of the north of the island and is one of the worst in the country’s history.

Although forest fires are common during hot, dry summers in Greece, they have been recorded this year. hundreds of them across the country as a result of a prolonged and intense heat wave. The Prime Minister, Kyriakos Mitsotakis, described the situation on Thursday as the worst ecological disaster in Greece in decades.

(With AP information)

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