Wildfires continue to rage across Greece's northwestern region of Evros on 10th day
Fire department says if wind changes direction to south, wildfire to spread even further
Aerial firefighting efforts continue to extinguish a major wildfire in Greece's Evros region, on August 23, 2023.
ATHENS
Wildfires continued to spread across Greece's northwestern region of Evros, which erupted on Aug. 19, with firefighters using fire engines, helicopters, and airplanes to contain and put out the fires in primarily two areas, local media reported on Monday.
So far, the fires had no effect on the settlements bordering the Rodopi region, according to the broadcaster ERT.
The fire department’s spokesperson, Yiannis Artophios, warned that the Dandia forest in Evros region is already severely burned down, and the forest is under serious threat if the wind changes its direction to the south.
He also reiterated that the National Intelligence Services (EYP) is investigating the possibility of arson and malicious action behind the wildfires in the Evros region.
In a related development, the EU's Copernicus Earth Observation Programme reported that burnt areas in the region have reached 77,000 hectares (190,271 acres), one of Europe's largest ever recorded.
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