Latest news with #FireBrigade
Mint
7 hours ago
- Politics
- Mint
Mamata Banerjee increases financial grant to Durga Puja committees in West Bengal to ₹1.10 lakh
West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Thursday announced that the government will provide ₹ 1.10 lakh to each of the approximately 40,000 Durga Puja committees across the state, PTI reported. Banerjee addressed a meeting of Durga Puja organisers, stating that the decision is intended to help the committees in managing Bengal's largest festival and to recognise their role in cultural and community life. 'The government stands by the people. Durga Puja is not just a religious celebration; it is a cultural festival that unites everyone. We want to ensure the organisers can manage expenses without stress,' Banerjee was quoted as saying. She also recalled the evolution of grants, which began with ₹ 10,000 in 2018 and were increased in response to inflation and rising costs of celebration. In 2019, the grant rose to ₹ 25,000, doubled to ₹ 50,000 during the COVID-19 pandemic, and increased to ₹ 85,000 in 2024. Along with additional financial aid, Mamata Banerjee declared that various government agencies and civic bodies, including the Fire Brigade, Kolkata Municipal Corporation (KMC), panchayats, and municipalities, would not impose any taxes or service charges on the Puja committees. 'This year, no fees will be charged by the fire brigade, civic bodies or any other state-run service provider. We are standing by you so that you can organise the Puja without financial stress,' Banerjee said. She also asked the Puja organisers to assist migrant workers coming back to the state. 'I would request Puja committees to help the migrants who are coming back after being tortured. Let's come together and offer them relief and respect,' she said. Banerjee has been alleging that migrant workers of West Bengal are facing torture in BJP-ruled states. One of the most-awaited festivals of West Bengal, Durga Puja, a UNESCO-recognised cultural heritage event. Prior to the announcement, Banerjee was reportedly scheduled to chair a meeting with several Durga Puja committees from across the state at the Netaji Indoor Stadium, PTI reported. (With inputs from agencies)
Express Tribune
4 days ago
- Climate
- Express Tribune
Greece wildfires abating
Greece on Sunday was still battling wildfires that have ravaged homes and sparked evacuations across the country, but firefighters have brought many outbreaks under control. According to the Fire Brigade, 55 new fires erupted in the last 24 hours but 50 were immediately controlled. Firefighters were working on five major fire fronts late Sunday in the Peloponnese area west of Athens, as well as on the islands of Evia, Kythera and Crete. "Today is expected to be a difficult day with a very high risk of fire, almost throughout the territory," fire brigade spokesman Vassilis Vathrakogiannis warned Sunday morning, though he added that the situation was improving. Forecasters predicted that strong winds that have been fanning the flames would die down on Sunday in most areas. But they warned that Kythera, a popular tourist island with 3,600 inhabitants, which lies off the south-eastern tip of the Peloponnese, continued to face "worrying" conditions. Giorgos Komninos, deputy mayor of Kythera, told the state-run ERT News channel that half of Kythera had been charred. "Houses, beehives, olive trees have been burnt," he said. ERT reported that a fire was still burning on the island late Sunday, but in smaller fronts and the situation was improving. Dozens of firefighters supported by three helicopters and two aircraft were battling the Kythera blaze, which erupted Saturday and forced the evacuation of people stranded on a popular tourist beach. Local authorities have requested a state of emergency so that stepped-up assistance can be provided for the island, which was previously stricken by a major fire in 2017. The Egnatia highway, a key route across the north of the country, was closed in both directions Sunday afternoon near the inland town of Kozani because of a fire fanned by strong winds, ERT said. Traffic was diverted to an old highway. Six regions of Greece will still face a very high fire risk on Monday, according to officials. Greece requested help on Saturday and two Italian aircraft were expected to arrive Sunday, the fire brigade said. Units from the Czech Republic are already at work. Numerous flare-ups were reported Sunday afternoon on the island of Evia, near Athens, where flames laid waste to swathes of forest and killed thousands of farm animals. Workers have toiled throughout the day to repair serious damage to Evia's electricity network and some villages were facing water supply disruptions. On Crete, reports said fires that started Saturday were now largely contained. In Kryoneri, north of Athens, police reportedly bolstered security as fears grow that looters could target houses abandoned by residents fleeing a fire that erupted Saturday but which was mostly contained on Sunday. Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis wrote on social media that anyone who lost possessions "should know that the state will be by their side". He said the struggle to block the flames on Saturday had been "titanic", but "the picture today looks better and the battle continues with all available resources". Greece has endured heatwave conditions for a week, with temperatures surpassing 40C degrees (104 degrees Fahrenheit) in many areas. On Saturday, the temperature reached 45.2C in Amfilohia, in western Greece. On Sunday, the maximum temperature was 42.4C in Thiva, central Greece. The extreme heat was expected to subside from Monday. Last month, fires on Greece's fifth-biggest island of Chios, in the northern Aegean, destroyed 4,700 hectares (11,600 acres) of land, while early July a wildfire on Crete forced the evacuation of 5,000 people. Greece, like many countries, is experiencing hotter summers stoked by human-induced climate change, which increases the length, frequency and intensity of heatwaves, which favours wildfires.
Dubai Eye
5 days ago
- Climate
- Dubai Eye
Greece battles wildfires across country, evacuates villages
Firefighters were battling wildfires across Greece and the Western Balkans on Saturday as the south of Europe sweltered under the third heatwave of the summer, with some villages and settlements being evacuated in Greece and Albania. Explosions could be heard as huge clouds of smoke covered Drosopigi village 25 km north of Athens, where factories with flammable material are located. Helicopters dropped water and 145 firefighters battled the flames, assisted by 44 vehicles, seven helicopters and 10 aircraft. Two houses caught fire while residents of the nearby village Krioneri were instructed by authorities to leave towards Athens. Five people were taken to hospitals over burns and smoke inhalation. Temperatures in Greece were forecast to reach up to 44 degrees Celsius on Saturday, the Greek weather service said. "In the last 24 hours alone, 52 agroforestry fires broke out, 44 of which were dealt with immediately, in their initial stage," said Vassilios Vathrakogiannis, a spokesperson for the Fire Brigade. In neighbouring Albania, 26 fires broke out throughout the country on Saturday, following a large fire near the southern Albanian town of Delvina on Friday which injured three people and forced the evacuation of about 2,000 residents. PEOPLE RESCUED FROM BEACHES On the Greek island of Evia, 128 firefighters and 29 vehicles were deployed to put out fires, assisted by six aircraft and seven helicopters, but strong winds were hampering their efforts. Residents of the island's Triada area were evacuated while two fire trucks were damaged and five firefighters injured during the operation. The fire on Evia is the latest in a series of bushfires stoked by strong winds and dry conditions this month. On the island of Kythera, residents from several settlements were evacuated to safe areas and Coast Guard forces said they rescued 138 people, including an infant, from the beach of Limnionas near the area of the fire. In the area of Messinia, south of Athens, residents of the Kryoneri and Sellas villages were also told to leave. These sites were on a list of Greek regions on high alert for wildfires due to record-breaking temperatures and strong winds due on Saturday. In Kosovo, authorities managed to extinguish 17 blazes fuelled by strong winds while 12 others remained active, officials said. In the southern town of Prizren, a fire engulfed a farm, killing eight cows, according to local emergency services. Local media reported that a separate fire in eastern Kosovo killed around 40 sheep. Greece and other Mediterranean countries are in an area dubbed "a wildfire hotspot" by scientists, with blazes common during hot and dry summers. These have become more destructive in recent years due to a fast-changing climate, prompting calls for a new approach.
ARN News Center
5 days ago
- Climate
- ARN News Center
Greece battles wildfires across country, evacuates villages
Firefighters were battling wildfires across Greece and the Western Balkans on Saturday as the south of Europe sweltered under the third heatwave of the summer, with some villages and settlements being evacuated in Greece and Albania. Explosions could be heard as huge clouds of smoke covered Drosopigi village 25 km north of Athens, where factories with flammable material are located. Helicopters dropped water and 145 firefighters battled the flames, assisted by 44 vehicles, seven helicopters and 10 aircraft. Two houses caught fire while residents of the nearby village Krioneri were instructed by authorities to leave towards Athens. Five people were taken to hospitals over burns and smoke inhalation. Temperatures in Greece were forecast to reach up to 44 degrees Celsius on Saturday, the Greek weather service said. "In the last 24 hours alone, 52 agroforestry fires broke out, 44 of which were dealt with immediately, in their initial stage," said Vassilios Vathrakogiannis, a spokesperson for the Fire Brigade. In neighbouring Albania, 26 fires broke out throughout the country on Saturday, following a large fire near the southern Albanian town of Delvina on Friday which injured three people and forced the evacuation of about 2,000 residents. PEOPLE RESCUED FROM BEACHES On the Greek island of Evia, 128 firefighters and 29 vehicles were deployed to put out fires, assisted by six aircraft and seven helicopters, but strong winds were hampering their efforts. Residents of the island's Triada area were evacuated while two fire trucks were damaged and five firefighters injured during the operation. The fire on Evia is the latest in a series of bushfires stoked by strong winds and dry conditions this month. On the island of Kythera, residents from several settlements were evacuated to safe areas and Coast Guard forces said they rescued 138 people, including an infant, from the beach of Limnionas near the area of the fire. In the area of Messinia, south of Athens, residents of the Kryoneri and Sellas villages were also told to leave. These sites were on a list of Greek regions on high alert for wildfires due to record-breaking temperatures and strong winds due on Saturday. In Kosovo, authorities managed to extinguish 17 blazes fuelled by strong winds while 12 others remained active, officials said. In the southern town of Prizren, a fire engulfed a farm, killing eight cows, according to local emergency services. Local media reported that a separate fire in eastern Kosovo killed around 40 sheep. Greece and other Mediterranean countries are in an area dubbed "a wildfire hotspot" by scientists, with blazes common during hot and dry summers. These have become more destructive in recent years due to a fast-changing climate, prompting calls for a new approach.
Ammon
5 days ago
- Climate
- Ammon
Greece battles wildfires across country, evacuates villages
Ammon News - Firefighters were battling wildfires across Greece and the Western Balkans on Saturday as the south of Europe sweltered under the third heatwave of the summer, with some villages and settlements being evacuated in Greece and Albania. Explosions could be heard as huge clouds of smoke covered Drosopigi village 25 km north of Athens, where factories with flammable material are located. Helicopters dropped water and 145 firefighters battled the flames, assisted by 44 vehicles, seven helicopters and 10 aircraft. Two houses caught fire while residents of the nearby village Krioneri were instructed by authorities to leave towards Athens. Five people were taken to hospitals over burns and smoke inhalation. Temperatures in Greece were forecast to reach up to 44 degrees Celsius on Saturday, the Greek weather service said. "In the last 24 hours alone, 52 agroforestry fires broke out, 44 of which were dealt with immediately, in their initial stage," said Vassilios Vathrakogiannis, a spokesperson for the Fire Brigade. In neighbouring Albania, 26 fires broke out throughout the country on Saturday, following a large fire near the southern Albanian town of Delvina on Friday which injured three people and forced the evacuation of about 2,000 residents. On the Greek island of Evia, 128 firefighters and 29 vehicles were deployed to put out fires, assisted by six aircraft and seven helicopters, but strong winds were hampering their efforts. Residents of the island's Triada area were evacuated while two fire trucks were damaged and five firefighters injured during the operation. The fire on Evia is the latest in a series of bushfires stoked by strong winds and dry conditions this month. On the island of Kythera, residents from several settlements were evacuated to safe areas and Coast Guard forces said they rescued 138 people, including an infant, from the beach of Limnionas near the area of the fire.
