After large areas were burned, the fire was concentrated mainly in Alexandroupolis and Evros, in the depths of a forest near the border with Turkey, in a hard-to-reach area.
The forest fires, which were responsible for 20 of the 21 forest fire-related deaths in Greece last week, are the largest in the European Union since records existed in 2000.
The fire department said six planes and four helicopters assisted 475 firefighters on the ground, supported by 100 vehicles.
260 firefighters and a helicopter are battling another huge blaze that has been raging for days in a forest on the southern slopes of Mount Parnitha, on the outskirts of the Greek capital.
The authorities are investigating the causes of the fires, which over the past week have destroyed large areas of forest, burned homes and forced the evacuation of thousands of people.
In Athens, Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis chaired a government meeting on rehabilitating burnt forests in Evros and Parnitha and decided to identify all burned areas for reforestation, take measures to prevent floods at the end of the year and provide access to food and water for survival. Wildlife.
Today it was announced that the European Union Emergency Response Coordination Center (ECRC) has mobilized 11 aircraft and helicopters from the Community Reserve to help fight forest fires in Greece.
These devices are joined by forest fire fighting teams sent by six European countries, through the European Union’s Civil Protection Mechanism.
Since August 20, when Greece activated the mechanism for the second time this summer, 11 firefighting aircraft have been deployed stationed in Germany, Cyprus, Croatia, Spain, France and Sweden, a Black Hawk helicopter has been deployed in the Czech Republic and 407 firefighters have been deployed. 62 vehicles were deployed from Bulgaria, Cyprus, Slovakia, France, the Czech Republic, Romania and Serbia.
So far, more than 81,000 hectares have burned in the Greek Alexandroupolis region, the most since 2000 in the European Union, when the European Forest Fire Information System was created.
Today, at a press conference, the spokesman for the European Commission for Crisis Management, Balaz Ojvari, confirmed that the European Union’s goal is to obtain 12 new Canadair aircraft, which will be parked in the bases, and will be legally owned by Croatia, France, France and Croatia. Greece, Italy, Portugal and Spain.
CCRE is the operational center of the European Civil Protection Mechanism.
William Shakespeare is a journalist and feature writer specialising in culture, entertainment, history, and current affairs. With a keen eye for storytelling and analysis, he produces informative articles that help readers understand the people, ideas, and events influencing modern life.
