Yellow smoke, scorched air, ash rain – the situation in the Greek fire regions is dramatic. Prime Minister Mitsotakis speaks of a “powder keg”. Turkey is also reporting fires that have gotten out of control.
Athens / Istanbul – In Greece, which has been hit by devastating forest fires, the situation is worsening. From the early hours of the morning, strong westerly winds continued to fuel the numerous fires.
To the north of Athens, people in several localities were called to leave the region. Security guards went from house to house so that nobody is forgotten.
Within 24 hours there were 86 new forest fires across the country, as the Greek fire brigade tweeted. Even tens of kilometers away from the fires, people see huge clouds of yellow smoke in the sky, it smells burned, ashes are raining down from the sky.
Rescuing islanders by boat
On the island of Evia and the Peloponnese, too, the fires are raging, sometimes uncontrollably. On Evia, the inhabitants of the village of Agia Anna in the northeast of the island had to be brought to safety by boat across the sea. There is also a fire in the northwest, where numerous villages have also been evacuated.
In the morning it was only a matter of preventing the fire from spreading, reported the Greek news agency ANA. In view of the strong winds, there could be no question of controlling the flames for the time being.
Greece Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis swore the citizens for more hard days. “We have to fight dozens of forest fires. Three of them – in Athens, the Peloponnese and Euboea – are enormous, ”said Mitsotakis during an address on state television. He warned of an “unprecedented condition, because the past days of heat and drought have turned the country into a powder keg”.
Greeks are not allowed to visit forests until at least Monday. Work that could generate sparks or flames is also prohibited.
Turkey: fires out of control
In Turkey, too, the forces continue to fight the flames. According to official information, 13 fires in six provinces were not yet under control in the evening. The holiday regions of Antalya, Marmaris and Bodrum are particularly affected, where the emergency services have not been able to get the fires under control for days.
The residents are desperate and hope for rain – but the next few days will also be extremely hot. In Bodrum and Milas in the Mugla province, more than 40 degrees are expected for today.
Foreign Minister Mevlüt Cavusoglu, who has his constituency in Antalya, recently made some hope: The wind will decrease in Antalya today and it is hoped that the fires there will be brought under control.
Thousands of people have already had to leave their homes and some have been placed in schools and sports stadiums. The authorities keep distributing lists of things that are needed: cutlery, plates, pillows and blankets – the need is great.
The fire has already devastated large areas. Eight people were killed, and it is estimated that at least 100,000 hectares of forest and fields fell victim to the flames. These are the worst forest fires in Turkey for more than 13 years. dpa
Picture gallery: © Angelos Tzortzinis / dpa
