Foreign firefighters arrive in Greece for summer wildfire season
ATHENS (Reuters) – A number of dozen Romanian and Bulgarian firefighters took up their posts in Greece on Saturday, the primary members of a European power being deployed to the nation to offer backup in case of main wildfires throughout the summer season.
Greater than 200 firefighters and tools from Bulgaria, France, Germany, Romania, Norway and Finland will likely be on standby throughout the hottest months of July and August in Greece, the place a spate of wildfires induced devastation final summer season.
A gaggle of 28 Romanian firefighters with eight automobiles, and 16 firefighters from Bulgaria with 4 automobiles, have been the primary to reach for the two-month mission, financed and coordinated below the European Union’s civil safety mechanism.
“We thanks very a lot for coming to assist us throughout a tough summer season for our nation, and for proving that European solidarity is not only theoretical, it is actual,” Greek Civil Safety Minister Christos Stylianides stated on Saturday as he welcomed the members of the Romanian mission in Athens.
“When issues get powerful, you’ll be aspect by aspect with our Greek firefighters so we will save lives and property.”
The Bulgarian firefighters have been stationed in Larissa, in central Greece.
Final summer season’s wildfires ravaged about 300,000 acres (121,000 hectares) of forest and bushland in numerous elements of Greece because the nation skilled its worst heatwave in 30 years.
Following sharp criticism of its response to the fires, the Greek authorities arrange a brand new civil safety ministry and promised to spice up firefighting capacities.
In Greece’s worst wildfire catastrophe, 102 individuals have been killed when a blaze tore by means of the seaside city of Mati and close by areas near Athens throughout the summer season of 2018.
(Reporting by Phoebe Fronista; Writing by Angeliki Koutantou; Modifying by Helen Popper)
