Greece

Greece fire fronts and wildfires July 2023

WILDFIRES IN GREECE UPDATE Monday 24th July 2023 

As of July 24, 2023, there are still active wildfires in Greece, particularly in the following areas:

  • Rhodes: The fire that has been burning since Tuesday, July 19, is still active and has caused the largest evacuation in Greece’s history. Over 19,000 people have been evacuated from the island, including tourists and locals. The fire has destroyed homes, businesses, and forests.

WILDFIRES IN RHODES GREECE

  • Western Attica: A fire that broke out on Sunday, July 23, is burning in the areas of Agia Sotira, Palaiokoundoura, Panorama and Palaiochori, Oinoi, and Erythrae. The fire has forced the evacuation of several villages and is threatening the town of Megara.

    Western Attica wildfire Greece

    fires in Attica Greece

  • Laconia: A fire that broke out on Saturday, July 22, is burning in the Lefkochoria region, near the town of Sparta. The fire has forced the evacuation of several villages and is threatening the town of Pyri.

    Laconia wildfire Greece

    fires in Greece Laconia

The fires have been caused by a combination of factors, including the ongoing heat wave, which has seen temperatures soar above 40 degrees Celsius (104 degrees Fahrenheit), and strong winds. The dry conditions have also made it difficult for firefighters to contain the fires.

The Greek government has declared a state of emergency in the affected areas and has called for international assistance. Firefighters from other countries, including France, Spain, and Italy, have been deployed to help fight the fires.

The fires have caused widespread damage and have displaced thousands of people. The full extent of the damage is still being assessed.

The Greek government has urged people to stay safe and to follow the instructions of the authorities.

The fires in Rhodes Greece

Rhodes has been experiencing a fiery nightmare for the last 24 hours, while on Saturday the fire got out of control, resulting in the evacuation of villages, the burning of houses and hotels, and the need for a huge operation by the authorities in order to free thousands of tourists and residents of the island. According to several sources, more than 50,000 acres of forest have burned, from the fire that has “cut” the island in two.

At around 2 in the morning, a new message was sent from 112 calling on residents to evacuate the areas of Massari, Malonas and Haraki. Specifically, the message said: “If you are in the areas of Massari, Malonas and Haraki, evacuate now to Rhodes. 

 In the village of Laerma, houses have been burned, as well as the village church. He even added that the forces of the Fire Department are not enough and noted that if there were not so many volunteers the entire island would have burned.

At the same time, hotels, shops and vehicles have been set ablaze in Kiotari as well. Earlier, hotel units in the area had been evacuated and those residents who had not left, were compulsorily evacuated.

Earlier, 1 12 rang again in the settlements of Gennadi and Kiotari, which were immediately evacuated. A total of 2,500 people were evacuated from the 2 settlements.

Additionally, according to the president of Laermos, the fire entered the settlement and is burning the first houses. With his statements, the president said that all residents have left the village and are in safe places in the surrounding villages. In addition, the fire front also burns a hotel located in the area.

According to the national TV channel ERT , during the extinguishing, a volunteer firefighter was injured and taken to the hospital with burns. Also, 3 citizens from Gennadi Rhodes were taken to the hospital with breathing problems.It was foloowed by a massive evacuation operation by sea.

At the same time, a massive operation was set up to evacuate 12 hotels threatened by the flames. Some of them were seriously damaged by the fire. According to the Fire Department’s press representative, approximately 2,000 people have been evacuated by sea, while according to an announcement by Civil Protection, all tourists were evacuated safely. EKAB ( Greek Ambulance)   reports 8 transports of people with minor respiratory problems. All 8 people were discharged.

Specifically, the tourists were transported by buses of the island’s tourist offices and by buses of the municipal transport company RODA to gymnasiums and school complexes of the island where they will spend the night, while in some cases they will also spend the night in conference centers of large hotels.

At the same time, three passenger ferries have been docked at the port of Rhodes in order to accommodate those released from the areas where the fire is raging in areas of the island. These are the ships Blue Star Chios, Dodekanisos Express and Panagia Skiadeni which will host the people who left their homes and hotels.

Causes of the wildfires

In Greece, fires have been caused by a variety of factors, including:

Greece is experiencing a prolonged heatwave, with temperatures reaching up to 45 degrees Celsius (113 degrees Fahrenheit). This hot, dry weather is ideal for wildfires to spread.

The strong winds blowing in Greece have fanned the flames of the wildfires, making it more difficult to control them.

Greece is currently experiencing a drought, which has left the ground parched, making it easier for fires to start and spread.

In some cases, the fires have been deliberately set by arsonists. This has made it harder to fight the wildfires in Greece.

Greece has been devastated by the fires. They have destroyed homes, businesses, and forests, as well as forced thousands to evacuate. These fires serve as a reminder of how dangerous climate change is and how important it is to protect the environment.

The following are some additional details about the fires:

Several areas of Greece have been affected by the fires, including Rhodes, Evia, and Corfu. They have been burning for over a week.

Homes, businesses, and forests have been destroyed by the fires.

As a result of the fires, thousands of people have been forced to evacuate their homes.

A national emergency has been declared, and firefighters from all over Greece are battling the fires.

As a result of these fires, we are reminded of the dangers of climate change and how important it is to protect the environment.

INTERACTIVE MAP OF FIRES

The source of the data shown in the map below is from the NASA FIRMS (Fire Information for Resource Management System) service. This service provides Near Real Time (NRT) fire data within 3 hours of satellite observation, specifically through the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) system on the Aqua and Terra satellites, as well as the Visible Infrared Imaging Radiometer Suite (VIIRS) system located on S-NPP and NOAA 20 (also known as JPSS-1).

July 2023 hottest month in Greece for more than a decade

The average value of the maximum daily temperatures in July fluctuated much higher than the average of the period 2010-19, according to the network of 52 meteorological stations of the National Observatory of Athens/meteo.gr that have been operating continuously since 2010 until today.

For most regions it was the warmest July in the last 14 years. In Crete, the largest positive temperature deviations were recorded, with values fluctuating around 2.8°C above normal levels for the season. The largest positive temperature deviations across the country were recorded between 13-27 July with maximum positive deviation values of more than 10°C.

For Thessaly, Central Greece, Peloponnese, Crete, and the rest of the Aegean islands, it was the warmest July since 2010. For Northern Greece and Epirus, it was the second warmest month in the last 14 years.

In Athens, the average monthly deviation value of the maximum temperature was +1.9°C, with 23 of the 31 days of the month being warmer than normal levels for the season. In Thessaloniki, 18 days of the month were warmer than the average value of the period 2010-2019, where the average maximum temperature of the month fluctuated 0.7ºC above normal levels. Most days with a positive deviation were observed in Livadia.
temperature (30 days) followed by Amfikleia and Rethymnon with 29 days.

As shown in the image below, 41 weather stations recorded maximums above 40 degrees Celsius, while in 3 of them the maximum temperature exceeded 42 degrees. The absolute maximum temperature was recorded at Akrotiri Chania and was equal to 42.6 degrees Celsius.

In addition, intense discomfort and high values of sensible temperature (Heat index) were recorded in areas with high temperature combined with high relative humidity. Specifically, on the Isthmus of Corinth at noon on Friday 21st of July, a noticeable temperature of 50 degrees Celsius was recorded, while in Preveza the noticeable temperature reached 49 degrees Celsius.

 

july 2023 temperatures