Latest news with #iEidiseis
Yahoo
6 hours ago
- Climate
- Yahoo
Greece declares emergency on Chios over wildfires
Greece put the Mediterranean island of Chios under a state of emergency on Monday because of major fires that have raged since the weekend. Civil Protection Minister Ioannis Kefalogiannis said the decision was made so the authorities could "immediately take the necessary measures". Government spokesman Pavlos Marinakis called on island residents to exercise "the greatest caution" and follow official instructions. Chios, in the northern Aegean Sea, is Greece's fifth-largest island and is currently facing five separate fire outbreaks. Some 190 firefighters, 38 vehicles, 12 helicopters and four water-bombers have been deployed, the fire service said. Kefalogiannis, who travelled to the island, said strong winds, estimated at force six on the Beaufort Scale were making the situation "very difficult". Reinforcements were being deployed, he told Greek news site iEidiseis. "If the wind dies down a bit we might be able to get this fire under control," he said. "But the wind really hasn't dropped." On Sunday, hundreds of asylum seekers were forced to move from a reception centre while seven villages were evacuated on Monday. Island authorities feared the fire was dangerously close to fields of valuable mastic trees, whose aromatic sap is used in making chewing gum, alcoholic drinks and pharmaceuticals. Mastic is the island's most famous product, designated part of its intangible cultural heritage by world heritage body UNESCO. Greece is particularly vulnerable to fires in summer, fuelled by strong winds, drought and high temperatures linked to climate change. Forecasts are predicting a heatwave in the coming days with temperatures of more than 40 Celsius (104 Fahrenheit) expected, including in the capital Athens. mr/yap/phz/jxb
Observer
6 hours ago
- Climate
- Observer
Greece declares emergency on Chios due to fires
ATHENS: Greece on Monday said it had put the Mediterranean island of Chios under a state of emergency because of major fires that have raged since the weekend. Civil Protection Minister Ioannis Kefalogiannis said the decision was made so the local authorities "can immediately take the necessary measures". Chios, in the northern Aegean Sea, is Greece's fifth-largest island and is currently facing five separate fire outbreaks. Some 190 firefighters, 38 vehicles, 12 helicopters and four water-bombers have been deployed to tackle the flames, the fire service said. Kefalogiannis, who travelled to the island, said strong winds, estimated at force six on the Beaufort Scale were making the situation "very difficult". A firefighting helicopter makes a water drop, Chios island. — Reuters Reinforcements were being deployed, he told Greek news site iEidiseis, adding: "If the wind dies down a bit we might be able to get this fire under control. "But the wind really hasn't dropped." 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. 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 (104 Fahrenheit) expected, including in the capital Athens. — AFP
eNCA
9 hours ago
- eNCA
Greece declares emergency on Chios over wildfires
Greece put the Mediterranean island of Chios under a state of emergency on Monday because of major fires that have raged since the weekend. Civil Protection Minister Ioannis Kefalogiannis said the decision was made so the authorities could "immediately take the necessary measures". Government spokesman Pavlos Marinakis called on island residents to exercise "the greatest caution" and follow official instructions. Chios, in the northern Aegean Sea, is Greece's fifth-largest island and is currently facing five separate fire outbreaks. Some 190 firefighters, 38 vehicles, 12 helicopters and four water-bombers have been deployed, the fire service said. Kefalogiannis, who travelled to the island, said strong winds, estimated at force six on the Beaufort Scale were making the situation "very difficult". Reinforcements were being deployed, he told Greek news site iEidiseis. "If the wind dies down a bit we might be able to get this fire under control," he said. "But the wind really hasn't dropped." On Sunday, hundreds of asylum seekers were forced to move from a reception centre while seven villages were evacuated on Monday. Island authorities feared the fire was dangerously close to fields of valuable mastic trees, whose aromatic sap is used in making chewing gum, alcoholic drinks and pharmaceuticals. Mastic is the island's most famous product, designated part of its intangible cultural heritage by world heritage body UNESCO. Greece is particularly vulnerable to fires in summer, fuelled by strong winds, drought and high temperatures linked to climate change.
France 24
10 hours ago
- France 24
Greece declares emergency on Chios over wildfires
Civil Protection Minister Ioannis Kefalogiannis said the decision was made so the authorities could "immediately take the necessary measures". Government spokesman Pavlos Marinakis called on island residents to exercise "the greatest caution" and follow official instructions. Chios, in the northern Aegean Sea, is Greece's fifth-largest island and is currently facing five separate fire outbreaks. Some 190 firefighters, 38 vehicles, 12 helicopters and four water-bombers have been deployed, the fire service said. Kefalogiannis, who travelled to the island, said strong winds, estimated at force six on the Beaufort Scale were making the situation "very difficult". Reinforcements were being deployed, he told Greek news site iEidiseis. "If the wind dies down a bit we might be able to get this fire under control," he said. "But the wind really hasn't dropped." On Sunday, hundreds of asylum seekers were forced to move from a reception centre while seven villages were evacuated on Monday. Island authorities feared the fire was dangerously close to fields of valuable mastic trees, whose aromatic sap is used in making chewing gum, alcoholic drinks and pharmaceuticals. Mastic is the island's most famous product, designated part of its intangible cultural heritage by world heritage body UNESCO. Greece is particularly vulnerable to fires in summer, fuelled by strong winds, drought and high temperatures linked to climate change. © 2025 AFP
RTÉ News
11 hours ago
- Climate
- RTÉ News
Greece declares emergency on Chios as fires burn
Greece has put the island of Chios under a state of emergency because of major fires that have raged since the weekend. Civil Protection Minister Ioannis Kefalogiannis said the decision was made so that local authorities "can immediately take the necessary measures". Chios, in the northern Aegean Sea, is Greece's fifth-largest island and is facing five separate fire outbreaks. Some 190 firefighters, 38 vehicles, 12 helicopters and four water-bombers have been deployed to tackle the flames, the fire service said. Mr Kefalogiannis, who travelled to the island, said strong winds were making the situation "very difficult". Reinforcements were being deployed, he told Greek news site iEidiseis, adding: "If the wind dies down a bit we might be able to get this fire under control. "But the wind really hasn't dropped." Yesterday, about a dozen localities and hundreds of asylum seekers at a reception centre were forced to move. Seven villages had to be evacuated today. 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 40C expected, including in the capital Athens.
