The European Commission announced on Monday the mobilization of 56 firefighters, 10 support vehicles and two planes to help Greece fight a new wave of fires, after the worst records of forest fires were recorded in July.
After an uncontrolled fire in northeastern Greece on Sunday, near the Turkish border, destroyed homes and crops and forced the evacuation of several towns, the community executive announced Monday that the European Union (EU) “sends two planes of firefighting rescEU”. [reserva estratégica do Mecanismo Europeu de Proteção Civil] based in Cyprus and a Romanian firefighting team”.
At a time when new fires are being recorded in the Greek region of Alexandroupolis-Feres, the EU is also mobilizing a total of 56 firefighters and 10 vehicles, which will arrive in the country this Monday, according to a statement from the European Commission.
In addition, a fire team previously deployed by France is already in Greece, as part of the EU’s preparation plan for the forest fire season.
Quoted in the information note, the European commissioner responsible for crisis management, Janez Lenarcic, recalls that “Greece has already experienced, by far, its worst month of July since 2008 in terms of forest fires.”
“The burned area is larger and the fires are more intense and violent, destroying more surface area than before. The Alexandroupolis-Feres fire has already damaged houses and forced the evacuation of eight villages, [pelo que] the rapid response of the EU is, once again, fundamental”, advances Janez Lenarcic.
The now-announced assistance follows the EU’s response to Greece’s earlier activation of the EU Civil Protection Mechanism last month, when nine planes, 510 firefighters and 117 vehicles were mobilized, as well as the satellite mapping service. of the Copernicus program, which continues to assess the damage in the country.
“The Commission remains in close contact with the Greek authorities through its Emergency Response Coordination Center and is ready to mobilize more aid if necessary,” concludes the statement from the community executive.
Driven by strong winds, the flames broke out early Saturday, for unknown reasons, scorching forests and bushes in a rural area of western Thrace near the port city of Alexandroupoli, about 25 kilometers from the Turkish border.
Source: TSF
