Balkans | Wildfires continue in Greece, where the scorching heat is effective

Under the influence of scorching heat, Greece has been struggling with wildfires that have been uncontrollable for a week, especially on the island of Rhodes.

According to the BBC report, Rhodes Deputy Mayor Konstantinos Taraslias said in a statement to local media that the fires still could not be brought under control.

Taraslias stated that the fires seriously affected the tourist areas and had to evacuate thousands of tourists.

Tourism Minister Olga Kefaloiannis stated that, contrary to claims, 10 to 20 percent of the island of Rhodes, not half of it, was affected by the fires.

Kefaoyannis stated that the airport was not damaged by the fires and that flights to Rhodes and Corfu were still possible.

It was determined that the fire on Corfu Island was caused by arson.

On the other hand, the mayor of North Corfu, Yorgos Mahimaris, said that after investigations, it was found that the fires were due to arson.

The Deputy Mayor of North Corfu, Theophanes Schembris, also noted that most of the fires that broke out on Corfu Island are under control and “everything will improve soon”.

Fire officials also announced that some 2,500 people had been evacuated from Corfu overnight.

The authorities published the information that 82 forest fires broke out in Greece yesterday.

The largest eviction ever carried out in Greece

And while the wildfires that broke out a week ago on the island of Rhodes continued to spread uncontrollably, 19,000 people were evacuated from the area last night.

“This is the largest evacuation ever carried out in the country,” said a statement from Greece’s Climate Ministry.

Authorities have increased the fire risk to category 5, the highest in the entire eastern part of central and southern Greece, on the islands of Euboea and Rhodes.

To combat the ongoing forest fires in Greece, two amphibious firefighting aircraft and a firefighting helicopter belonging to the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry arrived in Athens on July 22, with a flight crew of nine, on the instructions of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

AA