A massive wildfire that devastated extensive areas of forest in northeastern Greece for over two weeks is currently inactive, although numerous firefighters are still working to extinguish remaining pockets of fire.
Authorities have also issued warnings about the risk of flooding in certain parts of the country due to heavy rainstorms expected overnight and on Tuesday, which could pose a particular threat to areas already ravaged by the fire.
Additional reinforcements were dispatched over the weekend to combat the wildfire in the Evros region near the Turkish border. The blaze has resulted in the deaths of 20 individuals, all believed to be migrants and refugees who recently crossed the border.
Greece’s Minister for Civil Protection, Vassilis Kikilias, stated, “There is currently no active front in the Evros area. However, we remain on high alert and the battle continues.”
The fire, which started on August 19 near the city of Alexandroupolis in the northeast and merged with other fires to form one massive wildfire, has burned more than 93,000 hectares (230,000 acres) of land as of Sunday, according to the European Union’s Copernicus Emergency Management Service. This makes it the largest wildfire to hit an EU country since records began in 2000.
Numerous fires have been erupting daily across Greece for weeks, with the fire department reporting that its forces have dealt with 82 wildfires between Sunday and Monday.
Due to the strain on its firefighting resources, Greece has requested assistance from other European countries and has received hundreds of firefighters, as well as a fleet of planes and helicopters from various nations across the continent.
Article from www.aljazeera.com