Most fires in Greece triggered by humans
3 Min Read
The country witnessed its worst period of heat in July, as it recorded 667 fires across Greece.
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Flames burn on the mountain near Limni village on the island of Evia, about 160 kilometers (100 miles) north of Athens, Greece, Tuesday, Aug. 3, 2021. (AP)
The majority of the 667 fires that spread across Greece during the recent weeks were triggered "by human hand," the country's senior climate crisis official has said.
The depth of the devastation is gradually being revealed as the Mediterranean country emerges from an unprecedented 15-day spell of heatwave-induced infernos.
Experts called the first three weeks of July the hottest period and stressed that most of the fires could have been prevented, the government claimed on Friday.
Read next: Temperatures hit new record highs across the globe
The Greek minister of the climate crisis and civil protection, Vassilis Kikilias, told reporters, “During this time 667 fires erupted, that is more than 60 fires a day, almost all over the country. Unfortunately, the majority were ignited by human hands, either by criminal negligence or intent." Kikilias added that in some areas, fires broke out at multiple spots nearby at the same moment, suggesting that the arsonists were looking to spread fires further.
He added: “The difference with other years was the weather conditions. Climate change, which yielded a historic and unprecedented heatwave, is here. There were very few days where the extreme weather was not combined with strong winds.”
The World Meteorological Organization and Europe’s Copernicus Climate Change Service described this week in July as the hottest month in recorded history, and the UN added that it was clear that no month had ever been so hot.
On that note, UN Secretary-General António Guterres called for bold and immediate measures to cut planet-heating emissions, adding: “The evidence is everywhere. Humanity has unleashed destruction. This must not inspire despair, but action.”
Three people were killed in the fires, while 74 others were injured. On Wednesday, the Greek armed forces declared three days of mourning after two air force pilots were killed while attempting to extinguish flames in their water-bombing plane before it crashed over the island of Evia.
Read next: Deadly heatwave claimed over 61,000 lives in Europe: Study
In a single day, about 20,000 people, mostly tourists, were forced to escape hotels on Rhodes, the island hardest hit by the fires. The evacuation was described as the largest ever carried out in Greece. Earlier this week, a state of emergency was proclaimed in some regions of the renowned tourist site. While fires continue to rage on Rhodes and the Greek islands of Corfu and Evia, Friday marked the first day that emergency services were not on high alert, with the fire brigade claiming that the situation had finally begun to improve.
