ATHENS – Greece needs to develop a comprehensive plan to deal with what has become almost annual summer wildfires, some of them deadly, and reforestation, Greek Catholic Archbishop Theodoros Kontidis of Athens said.

He told the Vatican News in an interview that there’s a need for forestation after this year’s fires spread 25 miles from north of the capital into an Athens neighborhood, killing a factory worker.

He said fire “can change a family’s life forever,” and that, “It’s “It’s  clear to us that we need to change the type of forest we have … pine trees are uncontrollable in a fire, so we need to change and implement a long-term strategy.”

https://www.vaticannews.va/en/church/news/2024-08/archbishop-of-athens-interview-greece-fires.html

In 2023, the country registered more than 8,000 forest fires. In recent years, the risk of such fires has been raised by climate change, which has brought hotter weather and less rain, the report noted.

This year, Greece had its warmest winter on record this year and was on track for its hottest summer with scant rain in many areas, which, according to firefighters, amounts to “a recipe for fire disasters,” it said.

The government over the past few years has bolstered the firefighting services with more staff and equipment including water-dropping airplanes and helicopters and drones to try to spot the start of fires.

The Archbishop noted how fast the fires spread to the Athens outer area and said that, “This year we can see that temperatures are higher, creating difficulties for all of us residents. Because there are technical and sensitivity issues, I’m not sure what needs to be done to address this.”

Pope Francis made an appeal for the victims of the fires who lost their homes and possessions, and some businesses were destroyed as well and the government was readying a package of subsidies to help.

“If someone loses their home, and has nowhere to go in the evening, they have to go to designated shelters but without a home. This is a life-changing disaster. We do what we can, but it’s always painful for the victims,” the Archbishop said.

“It could have been much worse if the fire had continued for a few more days, but it’s practically impossible to control a fire when there is drought and wind. The only thing to do is prevention. But once a fire starts, very little can be done. It’s practically impossible to control a fire when there is drought and wind. The only thing to do is prevention,” he said.

The government has increased penalties for arson but also for accidentally starting a fire and homeowners and municipalities are supposed to clear brush and dead and dry debris but it wasn’t said how that was being enforced.

“There is always a need for people to be cautious, because in summer conditions, any small flame can start a fire anywhere. But there are always negligent people, and there are always arsonists who intentionally start fires,” said the Archbishop.

“Having a barbecue outside the house, etc, what starts as a simple party, a friendly gathering, can turn into a disaster in a matter of minutes. We need to change our habits, become more responsible after seeing everything that is happening,” he said.