Athens-Brussels: Europe and the Arabs
Forest fires continue in the Mediterranean region as a result of the high temperatures witnessed by several countries in the region, and the European Commission in Brussels announced that several countries have activated the civil protection mechanism to confront the matter, and for its part, the Greek authorities reported on Thursday evening that firefighters are doing their best to put out the flames Flaming for a tenth day on the island of Rhodes, while new fires broke out on the mainland destroying farms and factories overnight and leaving farmers scrambling to evacuate their animals.
The Greek newspaper "Kathimerini" reported that fires across the country, sparked by strong winds and temperatures exceeding 40 degrees Celsius, killed two more people in central Greece on Wednesday. This brought the death toll from the fires to five.
Officials ordered the evacuation of several communities in the hard-hit coastal region of Magnesia north of Athens, while fire brigades said the body of a 45-year-old shepherd was found in a rural area yesterday evening, and they also found the body of a woman and attributed the deaths to the fires.
Fires late Wednesday night also threatened the industrial zone in the city of Volos; The Ministry of Labor urged employers in the region to suspend work today (Thursday), and residents in the city of Lamia, south of Volos, were asked to leave their homes.
Temperatures have increased across large swaths of the Mediterranean amid a sweltering summer heatwave in recent days, and firefighters are battling to put out blazes across the region, from Portugal to Sicily to Algeria.
Climate Crisis and Civil Protection Minister Vassilis Kikilias said that Greece is experiencing "very dangerous summer days, and the fires are ignited by strong winds and exacerbated by abnormally high temperatures, igniting fronts extending for several kilometres."
He added, "Given the climate crisis, we will once again have severe weather conditions that will once again test our strength. Nothing is over, the battle will continue throughout the summer."
Which also quoted the assertion of Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis that the climate change crisis is looming over all parts of the Mediterranean, adding that climate change may be more dangerous than what scientists have warned.
This came during his regular talks with Greek President Ekaterini Sakellaropoulou, yesterday, Thursday, on the issue of forest fires in Greece, according to what was reported by the Greek newspaper "Katherini".
The Greek Prime Minister said that the government should adapt its plans to confront forest fires, explaining that many steps have been taken in this direction.