ATHENS, July 1 (Reuters) – Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis said on Monday that Greece was bracing for a dangerous summer in terms of wildfires as the country grapples with a prolonged drought and particularly strong winds.
Wildfires are common in the Mediterranean country, but they have become more devastating as summers have become hotter and drier, a phenomenon scientists attribute to climate change.
Last weekend, several dozen fires broke out in Greece, including two near Athens.
“The summer is looking particularly dangerous (…) the hardest part is still ahead of us,” the Prime Minister told his cabinet.
“We had a very difficult June in terms of weather conditions, with severe drought and unseasonably strong wind gusts,” he added, while praising firefighters for successfully containing the weekend fires.
Kyriakos Mitsotakis said less than 100,000 square meters of land had burned during the two fires, with the intervention of state emergency services helping to limit the damage.
To be better prepared, Greece has hired more staff and offered more training. Last year, wildfires forced 19,000 people to flee the island of Rhodes and killed 20 in the north of the country.
“Our arsenal may be more powerful, but nothing – and this is seen in practice – beats the preparation and involvement of the public in this collective defense against natural hazards,” the prime minister said. (Reporting by Renee Maltezou and Michele Kambas; Editing by Kate Entringer; Editing by Pauline Foret)
