Over the past two weeks, Greece has faced a serious wave of fires that have caused devastation in various regions of the country. The main disasters were registered on tourist islands such as Rhodes, Corfu, and Euboea, as well as in central Greece, specifically in the Thessaly region, and a fire was also reported in the Volos region, on the east coast.
Greek firefighters have been fighting hard against the fires, and although the situation is improving and there are no active outbreaks at the moment, they remain alert to contain any possible outbreak. The impact of the drought and policy deviations and delays made it difficult to achieve the key objectives of the program agreed with the IMF to improve international reserves and reduce the fiscal deficit.
The international community has also expressed concern. Pope Francis expressed his concern about the threats to life and the damage caused by the fires in Greece and other European countries affected by heat waves.
The fire that spread near Volos sparked explosions at an air force barracks, prompting the evacuation of more than 130 people from the area. There were moments of panic during the evacuations, but thanks to coordinated efforts, most were evacuated safely.
High temperatures have been a determining factor in the spread of fires, and July is being considered the hottest month ever recorded on the planet, according to the UN. Greece is one of the countries most affected by this exceptional heat wave, with fires that have caused human losses and the destruction of thousands of hectares of forest and vegetation.
Although temperatures have dropped slightly, winds are still strong, posing a challenge for fire control. Meteorological authorities forecast that temperatures on Friday will not exceed 37°C, but wind gusts of up to 60 km/h are expected. The situation remains critical, and the authorities and firefighters continue to work to fully contain and extinguish the fires in the country.