Greece continues to battle five major wildfires as the country remains under an extreme heatwave. Officials estimate that temperatures will reach 44°C on Sunday.
Evacuations and affected areas
On the island of Kythira, flames that started Saturday morning in the village of Pitsinades quickly spread over a wide area. Locals described the scene as “total destruction.”
On Evia island, a fire near Pissona was reported to be “out of control.” Six firefighters were hospitalized due to burns and smoke inhalation. Some villages were left without electricity.
In Crete’s Chania region, a 20 km forest fire front is posing a serious threat to beekeeping, livestock, and crops. Strong southwesterly winds are making containment efforts more difficult.
Requests for aid and environmental threat
Greece has requested six additional firefighting aircraft from the European Union as part of emergency assistance.
At the beginning of July, a wildfire in Crete forced the evacuation of more than 5,000 tourists. In June, fires on Chios island in the northern Aegean destroyed 4,700 hectares of land.
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