In a relentless struggle, Greek firefighters are waging a formidable battle against an immense inferno that has claimed a tragic toll over the course of 10 days, solidifying its status as Europe’s deadliest wildfire of the current summer season. This crisis has emerged as record-breaking heatwaves stoke wildfires across the continent.
Originating near the city of Alexandroupolis, the conflagration has relentlessly swept through the Evros region in northeastern Greece. Fueled by near-gale force winds and soaring temperatures, the blaze’s fury has proven relentless. Among its alarming consequences, at least 20 lives have been claimed, with nearly all the victims identified as irregular migrants seeking refuge within the forested areas, as reported by Reuters.
Government spokesperson Pavlos Marinakis characterized the situation as a “megafire,” a term encapsulating the scale and severity of the crisis, during a routine press briefing.
The Copernicus Climate Change Service, supported by the European Union, revealed that the wildfire in the Evros region has consumed an expansive 77,000 hectares of land, marking one of the largest wildfires witnessed on European soil in recent years.
Michalis Tsolakis, a 40-year-old beekeeper from the village of Kirki within the Evros region, painfully recounted the futile attempts to combat the blaze. “We tried to wet the land with hoses a bit, for protection, but the water was evaporating in no time. Ιt just wasn’t possible to save anything.” Tsolakis lamented the loss of 350 beehives.
Addressing the severity of the crisis, Marinakis disclosed that the country’s climate crisis and civil protection minister, along with other high-ranking government officials, ventured to the affected region to assess the extent of the damage.
