Firefighters battle second day of blaze on Greek island

Greece is currently facing a significant wildfire on the Aegean island of Skyros, with firefighters working tirelessly to contain the blaze on its second day of battle. The local mayor, Kyriakos Antonopoulos, expressed optimism that the fire could soon be under control. The fire erupted on Saturday, prompting the evacuation of two small communities, though the mayor assured no inhabited areas were currently at risk on Sunday.

To bolster their efforts, reinforcements have been dispatched to the island of approximately 3,000 inhabitants from neighboring regions. Greece has experienced several major wildfires since late July, exacerbated by unusually strong winds. Regrettably, five firefighters have already lost their lives in the ongoing crisis, including a Danish pilot who perished in a mid-air collision between two Bell helicopters while combating a blaze near Athens earlier this month.

The situation took a worrying turn last week when roughly 500 tourists were evacuated from beaches on the Halkidiki peninsula in northern Greece due to a forest fire threatening two beloved resorts. This year, Greece has witnessed the burning of about 20,000 hectares of forest and agricultural land in major fires near Athens and on the islands of Crete and Paros. Experts attribute the increasing risk of wildfires to human-induced climate change, which has intensified droughts and other extreme weather events.