Greek island Chios under emergency declaration as fires burn out of control
Greece's government has declared a state of emergency on the Mediterranean island of Chios as major fires burn out of control.
Five separate fire outbreaks have been burning in the country's fifth-largest island since the weekend, fanned by strong winds and dry summer conditions.
Civil Protection Minister Ioannis Kefalogiannis said the decision was made so the local authorities "can immediately take the necessary measures".
"If the wind dies down a bit we might be able to get this fire under control," he told Greek news site iEidiseis. "But the wind really hasn't dropped."
Around 190 firefighters, 38 vehicles, 12 helicopters and four water-bombers have been deployed to tackle the flames, the fire service said.
On Sunday, about a dozen localities and hundreds of asylum seekers at a reception centre were forced to move, while, on Monday, seven villages had to be evacuated.
The island's capital Chios is also at risk, with fires located to the north, west and south of the city, causing power cuts and forcing some residents to flee.
Greece is particularly vulnerable to fires during the summer months, fuelled by strong winds, drought and high temperatures linked to climate change.
Forecasts predict a heatwave in the coming days, with temperatures of more than 40 Celsius expected, including in the capital Athens.
"The situation remains critical as firefighting forces are still dealing with many active fronts, several of which being near hamlets," Greek government spokesperson Pavlos Marinakis told a news conference.
Scientists say Greece's wildfires are becoming more frequent and stronger because of climate change.
The country has spent hundreds of millions of euros to compensate households and farmers for damage related to extreme weather and to update firefighting equipment.
It has hired a record number of firefighters this year, some 18,000 of them, in anticipation of a challenging fire season.
Reuters/AFP
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Towering walls of flames tore through forest and agricultural land on the island, where authorities have declared a state of emergency and have sent firefighting reinforcements from Athens, the northern city of Thessaloniki and the nearby island of Lesbos. By Tuesday morning, the fire department said 444 firefighters with 85 vehicles were tackling the blaze on scattered fronts. Eleven helicopters and two water-dropping planes were providing air support. Emergency services have issued evacuation orders for villages and settlements in the area since Sunday, when fires broke out near the island's main town. The fire department has sent an arson investigation team to Chios to examine the cause of the blaze. "We are faced with simultaneous fires in multiple, geographically unconnected parts of the island - a pattern that cannot be considered coincidental," Climate Crisis and Civil Protection Minister Giannis Kefalogiannis said Monday from Chios. 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By Tuesday morning, the fire department said 444 firefighters with 85 vehicles were tackling the blaze on scattered fronts. Eleven helicopters and two water-dropping planes were providing air support. Emergency services have issued evacuation orders for villages and settlements in the area since Sunday, when fires broke out near the island's main town. The fire department has sent an arson investigation team to Chios to examine the cause of the blaze. "We are faced with simultaneous fires in multiple, geographically unconnected parts of the island - a pattern that cannot be considered coincidental," Climate Crisis and Civil Protection Minister Giannis Kefalogiannis said Monday from Chios. Authorities, he said, were "very seriously examining the possibility of an organised criminal act, in other words arson". The minister said police forces on the island had been reinforced and military patrols had been doubled. Wildfires are frequent in Greece during its hot, dry summers. 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