Villages Evacuated on Greek Island as Wildfires Rage
Hundreds of firefighters in Greece are battling a series of wildfires on the island of Chios, where officials declared an emergency and more than a dozen communities were evacuated.
Three blazes broke out on Chios on Sunday, in the areas of Kofina, Agia Anna and Agios Makarios Vrontadon, the country's Hellenic Fire Service said in a statement. Two more followed, leaving five fires burning as of Monday evening.
More than 400 firefighters have been deployed to the island, sent by planes and boats. Thirteen helicopters and four firefighting planes were also deployed.
Chios is one of the largest islands in the Aegean Sea, known for its resin-producing mastic trees. While not as popular with tourists as some other Greek islands, it sees an influx of visitors during the summer months, also the height of wildfire season.
'The situation on the island since yesterday has been quite difficult because we constantly have new fronts and resurgences and the climatic conditions are not favorable,' said Giannis Kefalogiannis, the country's Minister for Climate Crisis and Civil Protection, in a Greek-language statement on Monday.
Fire brigades faced multiple blazes in unconnected areas of the island, the fire service said, raising suspicion that the fires may be a product of arson. Officials have dispatched increased police and military patrols.
'We will not hide behind words: When fires break out simultaneously in such scattered locations, we must speak of suspicious activity,' Mr. Kefalogiannis said in a Greek-language statement later Monday evening. 'And if it is verified that these are coordinated arson actions, then we are dealing with a dangerous, criminal attack on society, the environment and life.'
Wildfires have long been a part of life in Greece, with its hot and dry climate. But local authorities say they have seen an uptick in the both the number and intensity of the blazes in recent years, which many experts attribute to climate change.
The authorities in Greece deployed a record number of firefighters this year in anticipation of worsening fire seasons, Mr. Kefalogiannis said in April. In recent years, the country has increased its fire patrols, used thermal imaging drones and earmarked more than 2 billion euros for new fire detection technology in an effort to manage the worsening fire seasons.
Extreme heat and high winds over the weekend turned much of Chios into a tinderbox, where fires spread quickly and were difficult to contain, officials told local media.
Additional firefighters have been brought to the island by boat, or flown in to help fortify the crews battling the fires, the Greek fire service said.
Officials from the Directorate to Investigate Arson Crimes arrived to the island to investigate the cause of the blaze, the Hellenic Fire Service said. The first three fires broke out at one-hour intervals, with a fourth and a fifth starting early Monday.
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