[ad_1]
In extreme drought and strong winds, a forest fire near the Greek resort of Kinetta on Monday was out of control. The fire is so big that thick clouds of smoke have reached Athens, about 40 kilometers to the east, darkening the sun. Many residents fled the house in panic.
Firefighters also attempted to control the flames with planes, which initially failed, as reported by the state television (ERT). Currently, temperatures are around 40 degrees in Greece
"The worst case scenario has arrived," Giannis Kapakis, chief of the Greek Civil Defense, said on television. The fire rages in a densely wooded area of pines, and there are holiday homes everywhere. Many residents fled in panic, reporters reported on the scene of the fire. Electricity, telephone and internet dropped in some areas. TV reporters showed several houses burned.
Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras has ordered that fire departments from other regions and the military rush to Westathen for reinforcement, reported public radio. Due to the strong formation of smoke, the Athens-Corinth highway was closed Monday afternoon, according to traffic control. Fires have also erupted in the east of Athens and the west of Crete. "It will be a long night," said a firefighter on TV
No relaxation in Europe
More and more forest fires are raging in more and more Europe because of the drought and summer heat. After the devastating fires in Sweden, fires became uncontrollable Monday in Latvia. In the north-west of the country, rescuers lost control of a peat fire and forest. According to Copernicus, the European Earth Observation Program, more than 1,000 hectares of forest, garrigue and peatland have been destroyed. A smaller village was evacuated as a precaution
In large parts of Europe, forest fires are raging because of drought and summer heat.The situation is not in sight and it should be hotter next week
(APA)
Source link
