Greece is battling its worst wildfires so far this year, which began spreading into the capital’s suburbs on Monday after first igniting on Sunday. The country has just witnessed its hottest June and July on record.
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Greece’s worst wildfire so far this year began spreading into Athens suburbs on Monday after first igniting in the northern fringes of the capital on Sunday afternoon, forcing thousands of residents and tourists to flee.
“It has the characteristics of an urban fire,” Nikos Lavranos, the President of the Panhellenic Federation of Firefighters, said in an interview with Alpha TV as he explained how the fire spread to residential areas, burning down schools and houses, The Independent reported. On Monday morning, authorities ordered the evacuation of many hospitals and towns around the capital, with sports halls and hotels preparing to host evacuees.
Strong winds and tinder-dry conditions drove the fires out of control after they first developed at about 35 kilometers (22 miles) from Athens. As of Tuesday morning local time, the eastern part of the Attica region, which covers the eastern part of the urban agglomeration of Athens, was under a severe fire alert.
A spokesperson for the European Commission said on Monday that “[t]he EU civil protection mechanism was activated upon request of the Greek authorities.” In a post on X, the EU civil protection unit said it had mobilized two firefighting planes from its fleet in Italy, one helicopter from France, and ground firefighting teams from Czechia and Romania. Meanwhile, local authorities deployed more than 700 local firefighters, 199 fire engines and 35 waterbombing aircrafts, according to the BBC.
Summer fires are nothing new for Greece, though changing weather conditions have made blazes more frequent and intense. Climate change has increased the wildfire season by roughly two weeks on average globally, mostly by enhancing the availability of fuel through heat and dry conditions.
The past nine years have been the hottest on record, with 2023 topping the ranking. The trend has continued well into the new year, with June marking 13 consecutive months of record-breaking temperatures. Despite the hot streak coming to an end last month, scientists have warned that the extreme heat will continue for as long as the world maintains its reliance on fossil fuels.
Like many other parts of the world, Greece has seen a notable increase in temperatures in recent years. The country just had its hottest June and July on record. Historical data suggests that the average temperature for July has increased by 2.5C between 1960 and now, with three of the four warmest July months in at least the last 80 years occurring in the past four years.
Featured image: Utku Kuran.
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