Authorities say they need the public’s help to limit the impact of these flames.
Firefighters fought Monday against forest fires declared on the islands of Chios and Kos, in the eastern Aegean. The flames caused five injuries and the Greek Prime Minister warned of the danger of summer that was coming, stating that the help from the population was essential to limit the impact of fires forestry.
Emergency services issued evacuation orders for residents of the Metohi area in western Chios on Monday morning, urging them to go to a nearby beach. In the afternoon, more than 140 firefighters, along with eight specialized firefighting equipment In forest fires, seven water-dropping planes and three helicopters were fighting the flames.
Firefighters spokesman Vasilis Vathrakoyiannis said two firefighters had minor injuries, while dozens more were heading to the island by boat from the nearby island of Lesvos and from Athens. State television ERT later reported that two more firefighters and a volunteer had suffered Burns that did not endanger his life.
“The situation remains difficult in Chios, and all Civil Protection forces will make great efforts to limit it,” Vathrakoyiannis said during an afternoon briefing. Another fire broke out further south in the Aegean, on the resort island of Kos, and late on Monday had forced evacuate several peopleincluding tourists from hotels, as a precautionary measure.
Vathrakoyiannis added that more than 100 firefighters, including reinforcements sent from Athensas well as six water-dropping aircraft and two helicopters, were fighting the fire.
Greece prepares for an “especially dangerous” summer
In total, 52 were declared in Greece forest fires in the previous 24 hours, 44 of which were shortcuts in its early stages, according to Vathrakoyiannis. The Monday in the afternoon, the authorities were still fighting against a total of eight fires.
The flames occur a day after firefighters managed to control two large forest fires near Athens, fanned by strong winds. “We have had an exceptionally difficult month of June in terms of meteorological conditionswith high levels of ssnow and unusually strong winds for this station,” Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis declared during a Cabinet meeting on Monday. This year’s summerHe said, “it is expected to be especially dangerous” for forest fires.
Mitsotakis said the use of drones as part of a warning system The early warning of wildfires had been particularly useful this year and gave credit to a better coordination between authorities and firefighters volunteers to limit the extent of fire damage so far.
“We are entering the hard core of the fire protection periodand without a doubt this will not be won without the help of citizens, especially in the field of prevention,” declared Mitsotakis.
Weather fans flames of fires in Greece
The hot and dry weather, combined with strong winds, helped fuel fires in both Greece and Türkiye last month. This year’s summer is expected to be especially prone to flames after a mild, dry winter.
Europe is the fastest warming continent, according to a recent report by the UN World Meteorological Organization and the European Union’s climate agency, Copernicus. In summer, that warming is concentrated in the center and southeastern Europe and around the Mediterranean.
In the last 30 to 40 years, research from the National Observatory of Athens (NOA) shows that the global temperature rise in Greece exceeds 1.5C, a very big jump for such a short time.
Furthermore, Greece is made up of an unusual mosaic of land and sea that makes it vulnerable to climate change. Higher sea surface temperatures provide more energy for fiercer and more frequent storms. Warm winds from Africa fuel heat waves.
“The existence of many islands amplifies these vulnerabilities [climáticas] due to its isolation, its varied microclimates and logistical challenges that raises disaster management in a dispersed archipelago,” Christos Zerefos, secretary general of the Academy of Athens and climate envoy for Greece, recently told Euronews Green.
“Taking into account that the Greek islands host unique ecosystems and a biodiversity that is very sensitive to changes in temperature and precipitation, climate change, through increasing fires and the meteorological conditions extremes, is the most important threat to these ecosystems.
