At least four major fires broke out in the Peloponnese peninsula and more particularly near the town of Megalopoli in Arcadia and in the departments of Argolis, Messinia and Achaia, located between 150 and 250km southwest of Athens.
“The (meteorological) conditions are extremely difficult, the wind speed exceeded 95 km/h (10 on the Beaufort scale) on Friday in certain regions, which makes it difficult for the pilots” of the water bombers to cope, he said. indicated the spokesperson for the firefighters, Vassilis Vathrakogiannis.
In total “45 fire outbreaks were recorded across the country”, including one near the seaside resort of Mavro Lithari, near Athens, which was quickly contained, added this official, calling on citizens to be vigilant.
In Megalopoli, where the fire started near a power station of the Greek Electric Company (DEI), forty-four firefighters are fighting against the flames, supported by 12 vehicles, six water bomber planes and two helicopters, according to the Greek News Agency, Ana.
Since Wednesday, authorities have continued to warn of the “very high risk” of forest fire due to strong winds, with high temperatures reaching 40 degrees Celsius in some areas.
The Mediterranean country went through its first wave of heatwave last week with temperatures locally reaching more than 44°C.
According to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), rising temperatures caused by human-caused fossil fuel emissions are lengthening the fire season and increasing the area burned.
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