Post by pieter on Aug 24, 2009 1:53:36 GMT -7
Greek fire slows as winds abate
Officials say the fires have created
'an ecological disaster' [Reuters]
A drop in gale-force winds has offered a respite to Greek firefighters struggling to control a raging fire near Athens.
But fire officials warned in the early hours of Monday, the third day of blazes across Greece, that the "mega-wildfire" was still threatening inhabited areas on the capital's northern fringes.
"There are fewer hazardous points," Yiannis Kappakis, a fire brigade spokesman, said, adding that "the blaze is still developing".
Over 500 firefighters, including a Cypriot contingent, battled the blaze east of the capital, fighting to save the communities of Daou Penteli and Nea Makri and prevent the fire from moving northwards.
An area near Marathon, the site of one of history's most famous battlegrounds, were also in danger.
Spyros Zagaris, the mayor of Marathon, said he had been "begging the government to send over planes and helicopters" but to no avail, telling Greek TV that "we are just watching helplessly".
Government criticised
Zagaris was among several local leaders who accused the government of having no plan to fight the fire.
But Yiannis Papathanassiou, the finance minister, said it was "not the time for criticism".
The handling of the fire, the biggest in Greece since a 10-day inferno in 2007 killed 65 people, will be crucial for the government of Costas Karamanlis, the prime minister, as it gears up for an election by March.
Many in Greece are upset at the government's response to a situation that has become familiar to many Greeks, with residents in some affected areas, saying firefighters and equipment were nowhere to be seen.
"Over the last day or so, some political opponents have been trying to score points," Al Jazeera's Barnaby Phillips, reporting from Athens, said.
"Both from the far right and the far left, the refrain has been that the Greek government has learnt nothing since the fires of 2007."
"The recurrence of such a catastrophe so soon is bad news for the government. Having said that, I should say that the main opposition party, Pasok [the Panhellenic Socialist Movement] ... has been relatively restrained."
"It's said this is a national crisis and it is not the time yet for political points to be scored."
The government, which is clinging to a one-seat majority in parliament, trails the socialist opposition in opinion polls.
Emergency declared
Greek authorities declared a state of emergency in and around Athens on Sunday, ordering at least 10,000 people to leave their homes as the fire, fanned by strong winds, swept through thousands of acres of forest near the capital.
Despite the danger, some people refused to obey the evacuation order and leave their properties as the flames approached the suburbs of Aghios Stefanos, Anthoussa, Pallini, Pikermi and Dionyssos, Greek officials and witnesses said.
Many people sprayed water throughout their properties, cleared brush and beat embers with tree branches in an attempt to halt the fire.
There have been no reports of deaths or injuries yet, but scores of houses have been gutted and thousands of hectares of the area's rapidly dwindling forests are gone.
Yiannis Sgouros, the Athens prefect, told Greek television that the fire was "an ecological disaster".
"More than 120,000 stremmas [30,000 acres] have been burnt," he said.
Nearly 2,000 firefighters and soldiers have been deployed to tackle the blaze on the ground, together with hundreds of volunteers.
Watch CNN report:
edition.cnn.com/2009/WORLD/europe/08/24/greece.wildfires/index.html#cnnSTCVideo
My comment:
This is a terrible condition, I hope that many houses and people can be spared!
I hope that Greece neighbours Turkey, Albania, Macedonia and Bulgaria can help
next to probably other European countries like Italy, Germany, the Netherlands, Poland. Anyone with equipment, resources and good will!
This is unfortunately not the first time, and not the only country which is plagued with these terrible devastating fires!
Pieter
Officials say the fires have created
'an ecological disaster' [Reuters]
A drop in gale-force winds has offered a respite to Greek firefighters struggling to control a raging fire near Athens.
But fire officials warned in the early hours of Monday, the third day of blazes across Greece, that the "mega-wildfire" was still threatening inhabited areas on the capital's northern fringes.
"There are fewer hazardous points," Yiannis Kappakis, a fire brigade spokesman, said, adding that "the blaze is still developing".
Over 500 firefighters, including a Cypriot contingent, battled the blaze east of the capital, fighting to save the communities of Daou Penteli and Nea Makri and prevent the fire from moving northwards.
An area near Marathon, the site of one of history's most famous battlegrounds, were also in danger.
Spyros Zagaris, the mayor of Marathon, said he had been "begging the government to send over planes and helicopters" but to no avail, telling Greek TV that "we are just watching helplessly".
Government criticised
Zagaris was among several local leaders who accused the government of having no plan to fight the fire.
But Yiannis Papathanassiou, the finance minister, said it was "not the time for criticism".
The handling of the fire, the biggest in Greece since a 10-day inferno in 2007 killed 65 people, will be crucial for the government of Costas Karamanlis, the prime minister, as it gears up for an election by March.
Many in Greece are upset at the government's response to a situation that has become familiar to many Greeks, with residents in some affected areas, saying firefighters and equipment were nowhere to be seen.
"Over the last day or so, some political opponents have been trying to score points," Al Jazeera's Barnaby Phillips, reporting from Athens, said.
"Both from the far right and the far left, the refrain has been that the Greek government has learnt nothing since the fires of 2007."
"The recurrence of such a catastrophe so soon is bad news for the government. Having said that, I should say that the main opposition party, Pasok [the Panhellenic Socialist Movement] ... has been relatively restrained."
"It's said this is a national crisis and it is not the time yet for political points to be scored."
The government, which is clinging to a one-seat majority in parliament, trails the socialist opposition in opinion polls.
Emergency declared
Greek authorities declared a state of emergency in and around Athens on Sunday, ordering at least 10,000 people to leave their homes as the fire, fanned by strong winds, swept through thousands of acres of forest near the capital.
Despite the danger, some people refused to obey the evacuation order and leave their properties as the flames approached the suburbs of Aghios Stefanos, Anthoussa, Pallini, Pikermi and Dionyssos, Greek officials and witnesses said.
Many people sprayed water throughout their properties, cleared brush and beat embers with tree branches in an attempt to halt the fire.
There have been no reports of deaths or injuries yet, but scores of houses have been gutted and thousands of hectares of the area's rapidly dwindling forests are gone.
Yiannis Sgouros, the Athens prefect, told Greek television that the fire was "an ecological disaster".
"More than 120,000 stremmas [30,000 acres] have been burnt," he said.
Nearly 2,000 firefighters and soldiers have been deployed to tackle the blaze on the ground, together with hundreds of volunteers.
Watch CNN report:
edition.cnn.com/2009/WORLD/europe/08/24/greece.wildfires/index.html#cnnSTCVideo
My comment:
This is a terrible condition, I hope that many houses and people can be spared!
I hope that Greece neighbours Turkey, Albania, Macedonia and Bulgaria can help
next to probably other European countries like Italy, Germany, the Netherlands, Poland. Anyone with equipment, resources and good will!
This is unfortunately not the first time, and not the only country which is plagued with these terrible devastating fires!
Pieter