ATHENS – Fires that threatened to overtake Mount Parnita north of the Greek capital and the island of Serifos – where locals said rampant construction could impact the landscape – were controlled but another broke out in Keratea.

There’s been record heat in June and the month has also seen more fires breaking out, although the building up of the fire service has helped hold down the destruction but there are worries it will get worse.

Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis said it would be a difficult year – again – for fires during the height of the peak tourism season when Greece is expecting another record year, surpassing 2023.

“The difficult times are still ahead of us,” he posted on Facebook. He added that, “Our effort is continuous … our allies are new tools that build a new culture of prevention and responsibility.’
But he only called on municipalities to remove dangerous flammable materials from outdoor areas and to clear away debris and dead brush that they didn’t do in 2023, despite getting state funds and no account where the money went.

The government also reversed a planned measure requiring homeowners to do the same even as it sought to legalize unlawful construction in wooded areas that are especially susceptible to wildfires.

He noted how hard it was for firefighters to handle the blaze on Mount Parnitha, a large part of which was destroyed in 2023 fires and the New Democracy government increasing penalties for arson often seen behind the frequent fires.

“The fire in Parnitha was extremely difficult, but it was detected immediately thanks to aerial surveillance with drones that we have implemented this year for the forests and mountainous areas of Attica.” stated Mitsotakis, highlighting that it was put out in only a few hours instead of spreading.

A big part of Mount Parnitha’s nature reserve, full of pines and fir trees, was destroyed by a large fire in 2007 and saw volunteer groups turn out to replant trees that now have become fuel for more fires.

The country was on high alert for more fires as gale-force winds continued, so high that a ferry boat hit a pier on the island of Folegandros as it tried to dock and the risk grew as the condition persisted.

On Serifos, nearly a dozen firefighters with four fire engines battled the fire on the Aegean island that broke out on low vegetation but spread quickly amid strong winds before it was put under control, said Reuters.

With hot, windy conditions across much of the country, about 50 wildfires broke out on June 29 and authorities advised people to stay out of forest areas, the news agency noted, with gusts of more than 100 kilometer (62 miles) per hour in places.

https://www.reuters.com/world/europe/wildfire-fanned-by-strong-wind-rages-forest-area-near-athens-2024-06-29/

Wildfires are an annual problem in Greece, many in the past said having been deliberately set to clear woodlands for construction and development that’s been allowed for years, leading to even more blazes.

The government blamed the spate in recent years on climate change that world governments have largely ignored apart from adopting window dressing measures and Russia’s invasion of Ukraine led Greece to return to burning coal for electricity.

On Serifos, Mayor Konstantinos Revintis told MEGA V that the fire stopped at the sea’s edge after reinforcements were sent by ferry from the mainland, the blaze accelerated by high winds on the island.

“It is a biblical disaster. The front is 15 kilometers (9.3 miles) in total. We are talking about massive destruction. Burned houses, burned cottages, burned warehouses,” he said before it was contained.

Another big fire broke out on June 3 in Keratea, southeast of Athens, leading to orders for residents in four areas to leave their homes as firefighters tried to deal with it, hampered by the winds.

Some 56 firefighters, with 17 vehicles were sent to the area as well as eight water-dropping airplanes and two helicopters, and an evacuation order was sent via cell phones to Markati, Plaka, and Panorama, towards Lavrio