Forest fires in Greece: Evacuations and alarm level orange!

Forest fires in Greece: Evacuations and alarm level orange!

forest fires are a common event in Greece, especially in the Aegean, in summer. At the moment, the regions around Athens and the island of Chios are affected, whereupon the authorities ordered evacuations for residents and vacationers. In the southern Peloponnese, in the area of ​​Athens as well as on the islands of Lesbos and Samos, the alarm level "Orange" is currently valid. Temperatures in Greece reach up to 40 degrees Celsius, while strong winds significantly increase the risk of fires.

In the southeast of Athens, a bush and forest fire broke out, which required a large-scale operation by the fire brigade. Fortunately, the fire has now been brought under control. There were three fires on Chios almost simultaneously, which have united and suffered about 4,000 hectares of land before they could be deleted. The current climatic conditions, including extreme heat and dry winds, favor the development of bush and forest fires, which also led to impairments of the infrastructure, for example by roadblocks.

evacuations and safety precautions

The Greek authorities have ordered the evacuation of residents as a direct reaction to the fires, especially in endangered areas. This affects children's summer camps in villages in the east of Athens and near Loutraki in the west. Prime Minister Kyriako's Mitsotakis emphasizes that the protection of lives has a top priority. Around 1200 children from holiday camps near Loutraki were certainly evacuated, while in some regions, such as in Anavyssos and Saronida, up to 20 forest and bush fires threaten.

Civil protection has also reinforced the efforts to contain the fires, while the fire brigade warns of increased risk due to the high temperatures. Wind gusts reach speeds of up to 60 km/h, which not only makes the extinguishing work more dangerous, but also more complicated. At the weekend, the temperatures in the Theben region were even higher than 44 degrees, and the acropolis was closed during the hottest hours of the day.

Notes for vacationers

vacationers in Greece should follow the instructions of the local authorities and make sure that they can use emergency number 112 in emergencies. German tourists are advised to activate "emergency notifications" on their mobile phones. In exceptional circumstances such as forest fires, flat -rate holidaymakers have the opportunity to cancel their trips free of charge. However, extreme heat alone is not a valid cancellation of cancellation, and possible cancellation costs can arise if fear or concerns are canceled before a trip.

Individual travelers do not require any payment for services that have not been provided with blocked regions. It is also pointed out that information about safety precautions to forest fires is available at the Federal Foreign Office. Despite the heavy location with forest fires, the hope of relaxing the weather conditions remains: The weather service Emy says a slight cooling for the next few days, even if a new heat wave with a maximum of up to 43 degrees cannot be ruled out.

In summary, it can be said that Greece is fighting the threat from forest fires and both citizens and tourists are well informed and brought to safety.