ATHENS, Greece: Greece elevated its wildfire alert level to “high risk” after numerous blazes erupted across the country, announced the civil protection ministry on Sunday.
Within a span of 12 hours between 0300 GMT and 1500 GMT on Saturday, a total of 71 fires were reported in agricultural and forestry regions across Greece, according to the ministry responsible for managing the climate crisis.
The majority of these fires have been brought under control, except for one ongoing blaze in Lasithi on the island of Crete, which continued to burn into Sunday, as reported by the fire department.
In connection with this fire, three individuals sustained minor injuries, stated the fire department.
The situation is exacerbated by strong winds reaching speeds of up to 60 kilometers per hour (37 miles per hour), expected to persist until Tuesday in certain parts of Greece, posing an extremely hazardous environment for the outbreak and spread of fires, cautioned the ministry.
Consequently, in regions such as Athens, the central areas, the Cyclades islands, and Crete, all civil protection services will be placed on level four, indicating a high risk of fires, as per the ministry’s directive.
This heightened alert follows Greece’s record average winter temperature of 11.8 degrees Celsius (53.2 Fahrenheit), reported by the Athens Observatory, which has expressed concerns regarding the significant level of drought prevailing in the country.
The temperatures have remained unseasonably high since the beginning of April, with Chania on Crete registering a temperature of 31 degrees Celsius on Tuesday.
Greece encountered a prolonged heatwave last summer, akin to several other Mediterranean regions, resulting in the loss of 20 lives and the scorching of close to 175,000 hectares (430,000 acres) of land due to rampant wildfires that ravaged the nation.
