Greek firefighters continue to fight forest fires near Athens
Since Sunday, a severe wildfire had been spreading near Athens. A woman lost her life, numerous houses and 10,000 hectares of forest were destroyed, and thousands of people had to flee their homes. Six European countries sent around 300 firefighters, along with water-dropping aircraft and fire engines, to Greece to assist in battling the flames.
Meanwhile, criticism of the government in Athens was mounting, with accusations of inadequate preparedness. The disaster response was criticized for lacking personnel, equipment, and coordination by opposition leader Stefanos Kasselakis of the left-wing Syriza party.
Socialist leader Nikos Androulakis called for immediate measures to protect the population. Forest authorities should be more involved in preventing wildfires, and firefighters should also be deployed in forest fire prevention during the winter.
After the warmest winter on record, Greece also experienced the hottest June and July since records began in 1960. The risk of wildfires is therefore extremely high. On Wednesday, there was still an increased alert level, particularly for the north of the country.
Despite the European aid, the Greek government faced continued scrutiny over its wildfire preparedness. Critics, including prominent socialist leader Nikos Androulakis, emphasized the need for greater involvement of forest authorities in prevention efforts and year-round deployment of firefighters in high-risk areas, given that Greece had just endured its warmest June and July on record, following the warmest winter, increasing the likelihood of wildfires.
