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LAST UPDATE | 13 Aug 2024
THE EU’S CIVIL protection unit is set to join firefighters in Greece who are battling devastating wildfires just north of Athens for a third straight day.
The fires have forced thousands of people to flee their homes and filled the skies over Athens with toxic smoke.
Fuelled by strong winds, Greece’s worst wildfire this year raced across a parched landscape as it wreaked widespread destruction around the Greek capital.
At least one person has died, a Moldovan woman whose body was found in a burnt out factory, and at least 66 people have been treated for injuries. Five firefighters have also been hurt.
European Commissioner for civil protection and humanitarian aid Janez Lenarčič said yesterday that the EU will send two planes from from Italy, one helicopter from France and hundreds of ground firefighting teams from Romania and Czechia to assist the country.
Yesterday, the Greek Government made a call for international assistance in fighting the fire. Resources and personnel have also come from Serbia and Turkey.
“We stand with Greece as it battles devastating fires,” EU Commission President ursula von der Leyen said yesterday.
This s**t is getting crazy. You can hardly see the sky over #Athens. How does that meme go again? - "This is fine. I'm okay with the events unfolding in #Greece. Everyone stay in the pool and enjoy the view. Ignore that giant #climate fire over just over the hill." #athensfire pic.twitter.com/wy8OpQIdxR
— Peter Dynes (@PGDynes) August 13, 2024
“We are at a better level across the front”, Costas Tsigkas, head of the association of Greek firefighter officers, told state television ERT this morning.
“But conditions again will not be easy. There will be winds from midday onwards” and “every hour that passes will be more difficult”, he said.
The National Observatory said temperatures of up to 38 degrees are expected in Athens today, with winds of up to 39 kilometres per hour.
On the 11th of August, a large wildfire burned out of control in Attica, Greece. The fire has affected at least 10,000 hectares and forced thousands of people to flee their homes.
— Copernicus EU (@CopernicusEU) August 13, 2024
Read more:https://t.co/VYw2OCmm0H#Φωτιά pic.twitter.com/fJ0oyrQl57
The European Union’s Copernicus Earth observation agency released satellite images of the fire, showing smoke being pushed southwards by the wind in the direction of the capital city.
Some 700 firefighters, backed by 200 fire engines and nine aircraft, are battling the blaze that broke out Sunday afternoon in the town of Varnavas, around 35 kilometres northeast of Athens, the fire department said.
Fanned by strong winds, it grew to a 30-kilometre-long front line of flames more than 25 metres high in places, according to state TV ERT.
Greece’s National Observatory, itself threatened by the wildfire, said yesterday that at least 10,000 hectares had been devastated by the fire.
The mayor of the town of Halandri, Simos Roussos, told ERT state television that he had seen nearly a dozen homes destroyed by the fire there. Numerous businesses, used car and coal yards and paint warehouses were also affected, he said.
“The fire travelled 50 kilometres and changed direction 10 times,” Roussos said.
In nearby Penteli, a helicopter waterbombed huge balls of flame coming from a warehouse containing wood and what is believed to be propane tanks. Locals fled loud explosions, which sent items flying.
The labour ministry has banned outdoor working in areas hit by the fires because so many burned factories contained toxic chemicals.
With much of the capital covered by acrid smoke for two straight days, scientists reported an alarming rise in hazardous airborne particles, particularly from Sunday night to last night.
VIDEO: 🇬🇷 Wildfire threatens Athens as Greek govt appeals for help
— AFP News Agency (@AFP) August 13, 2024
A massive wildfire in the city's northeast suburbs has forced thousands to flee their homes and sparked a government appeal for international help. At least one person has been killed in the blaze#AFPVertical pic.twitter.com/h3fLqG2qbL
“Never in a million years did I think a fire would come here,” 65-year-old Sakis Morfis told the AFP news agency outside his gutted home in Vrilissia.
“We’re without clothes, money, everything was burned inside,” he said.
Yesterday, three hospitals, including a children’s hospital, two monasteries and a children’s home were evacuated.
At least 30 push alerts were sent to mobile phones in the area north of the city centre warning people in several Athens suburbs and settlements to flee.
June and July were the hottest months ever recorded in Greece, which also recorded its warmest winter ever.
An early start to the fire season this year has strained Greece’s firefighting force.
“Firefighters have been working at full tilt for months,” said Nikos Lavranos, head of Greece’s main firefighters’ union.
“They are exhausted.”
Greece’s conservative government has come under attack from the press over its handling of the fire.
“Enough is enough,” thundered the front page of Greece’s top-selling centrist daily Ta Nea. The liberal Kathimerini said the “out of control” inferno “had left huge destruction (and) unanswered questions”.
“Evacuate Maximou,” said the left-wing Efsyn daily, referring to the building housing the prime minister’s office.
Includes reporting by Muiris O’Cearbhaill, © AFP 2024 and Press Association
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The funniest part is where it says “should Chinese export approval be achieved “ do they know what they are getting. They should be begging us to deal with them. We are leagues ahead of everyone for the quality beef and lamb we produce. In a starving world for the huge nation of China to think they can come in and see if we meet their standards is insulting. They should come in and we tell them what to pay take it or leave it. The farmers should also be able to say how much and not Kepak. Brexit is on our doorsteps. We don’t want to be in a crappy deal after that lands.
@Martin McFly: The Chineese are good at making chips but I am not sure if they could eat them
@Martin McFly: The Chinese population is 1.4 billion people. We have 5 million. It’s not a good idea to tell the country that could hover up the entire production of sheep meat in Ireland in one fell swoop as to how to go about their business.
China is the worlds 3rd largest importer of sheep meat and we are the worlds 5th largest exporter. The UK is 2nd in that category. With Brexit, we need other markets to rely on. If we were relying on your attitude the Chinese would turn around and tell us to piss off.
BTW what country buys any goods form anyone else without first seeing how they are produced. A lot of retailers over the years did this and it came back to bite them in the ass when it emerged that the £50 shirts they were selling were made by workers in sweatshops on £1 an hour.
@CBD HeavenSent: Hitherto, China have a model of producing at minimal cost without any regard for human rights, animal rights or the environment. This has been proven true in their past envoys. They often copy production systems and just make products themselves at home or elsewhere. With the ridiculously high standards we have in beef and dairy farms in europe, why do we even entertain the Chinese? Leave it to the US, UK, etc.
@Monty Donotno: Well why don’t you go up to the farmers and their families whose livelihoods depend on Chinese exports and tell them that they shouldn’t be selling their product to the Chinese.
There’s a bunch of farmers outside that meat plant in Roscommon so wander up there and tell them that they should stop feeding the Chinese lads and find another way to earn an income for their families.
Let me know how you get on.
@CBD HeavenSent: most sensible arguement I have heard on this topic in a long time. This is the real world after all.
@CBD HeavenSent: what do you think they’ll say? The way the Irish produce their beef is below standard. We’ll have to go somewhere else. Nope son. They need every bit. As cheap as they can get it, and all of Britain’s too post Brexit. That doesn’t put us in the weaker position at the table. They don’t get to make the call on how much. They need the product, we can always find and will always find new customers. Having been in business for over 20 years , dealt with, and been to China they do things their way. Sub-standard, few regulations,and massive greed at the top. Companies working for a communist regime and give peanuts back to the people. So yes, tell them what we want for our rare, superior product … or get the boat.
@Martin McFly: Depending in how low the GBP goes, it might be very hard to compete with Britain on price. China doesn’t ‘need’ beef/lamb, they ‘want’ beef/lamb. If British standards equal ours (as they probably do thanks to the EU), and the Yen ends up with more purchasing power in Britain than Ireland it’ll get pretty hard to convince them to buy our meat, never mind getting to demand a price.
@CBD HeavenSent: no need for the small minded “why don’t you go up there and tell them..” Why would I? I’m making the point, we produce a high cost product, and the Chinese in general want a race to the bottom like much of the world in price and ultimately quality. I’m not an anti-trade communist or something.
A great bunch of lads.
Irish meat is v.expensive in the shops now. I was trying out chicken for a long while but you get tired of that. I try to mimimize meat intake partly because i feel it is over-priced. Meat is expensive and farmers have a point….
@Aire Dezamba: If you think that it’s too expensive then try producing it yourself and see how you get on, looking forward to hearing from you.
@John Mc Donagh: why would she try to produce it?
@Cormac Ó Braonáin: Yes, producing a chicken of your own would be terribly expensive.
@Kieran Woods: you did catch that she was using the chicken example as an expense relief, yeah!?
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