Greece to Reinforce Firefighting Teams on Chios as Wildfires Rage for Second day
Greece will send more than 170 more firefighters on Monday to reinforce teams battling wildfires on the Greek island of Chios for a second day, as winds further whipped up the blaze, bringing power cuts and spurring the evacuation of residents.
"The situation remains critical as firefighting forces are still dealing with many active fronts, several of which being near hamlets," Greek government spokesman Pavlos Marinakis told a news conference.
He said another 171 firefighters would be sent to the island in the northeastern Aegean Sea, joining about 190 assisted by 11 aircraft who were trying to prevent the conflagration from spreading to homes and areas known for producing mastiha, a natural resin harvested from mastic trees.
Wind gusts complicated efforts to extinguish the wildfires, which have razed forest and pasture land as they barrel towards the north, west and south of Chios town, the island's capital, causing power cuts and forcing hundreds of villagers to flee to safety.
Sitting at Europe's hot southernmost tip, Greece has felt the economic and environmental impact of frequent wildfires in recent years that scientists say have been exacerbated by a fast-changing climate.
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.
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