Blaže graužia Evia salą Graikijoje „kaip siaubo filmas“

Thousands of people have fled their homes on the Greek island of Evia as wildfires burned uncontrolled for a sixth day on Sunday (8 August), and ferries were on standby for more evacuations after taking many to safety by sea, rašyti Marco Trujillo ir Karolina Tagaris.

The blaze on Evia, Greece's second-biggest island, quickly burgeoned into several fronts, ripping through thousands of hectares (acres) of pristine forest across its northern part, and forcing the evacuation of dozens of villages.

The flames engulfed homes in five villages but the full extent of the damage was not immediately known.

"(It's) like a horror movie," said a 38-year-old pregnant evacuee who gave her name as Mina, after she boarded a rescue ferry at the town of Pefki, where falling ash covered the port.

"But now this is not the movie, this is real life, this is the horror that we have lived with for the last week," she said.

Wildfires have broken out in many parts of the country during a week-long heatwave, Greece's worst in three decades, with searing temperatures and hot winds creating tinder-box conditions. Across the country, forest land has burned and dozens of homes and businesses have been destroyed.

Since Tuesday, the coastguard has evacuated more than 2,000 people, including many elderly residents, from different parts of Evia, which is linked to the mainland by bridge, in dramatic sea rescues as the night sky turned an apocalyptic red.

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Others fled their villages on foot overnight, walking along roads dotted with trees in flames.

"A house is burning over here," one woman told emergency crews on the ground in the settlement of Vasilika, pointing to a searing fire in the distance.

"Everywhere, everywhere, everywhere, everywhere," one of the firefighters replied.

A firefighting airplane makes a water drop as a wildfire burns near the village of Ellinika, on the island of Evia, Greece, August 8, 2021. REUTERS/Alexandros Avramidis

Centrinės Graikijos gubernatorius Fanisas Spanosas sakė, kad padėtis salos šiaurėje beveik savaitę buvo „labai sunki“.

„Frontai yra didžiuliai, sudegusios žemės plotas yra didžiulis“, - sakė jis „Skai TV“. Pasak jo, viešbučiuose ir kitose prieglaudose buvo apgyvendinta daugiau nei 2,500 žmonių.

On behalf of the Greek people, I would like to express our heartfelt gratitude to all the countries that have sent assistance and resources to help fight the wildfires. We thank you for standing by Greece during these trying times. pic.twitter.com/POrWlIVJsU

- Ministras Pirmininkas GR (@PrimeministerGR) Rugpjūtis 8, 2021

Graikija dislokavo kariuomenę, kuri padėjo kovoti su gaisrais, o kelios šalys, įskaitant Prancūziją, Egiptą, Šveicariją ir Ispaniją, taip pat atsiuntė pagalbą, įskaitant ugniagesių lėktuvus.

More than 570 firefighters are battling the blaze in Evia, where two active fronts were burning in the north and south of the island.

In the village of Psaropouli, evacuated residents said they were angry.

"I lost my home...nothing will be the same the next day," one woman who gave her name as Vasilikia said.

"Tai nelaimė. Tai didžiulė. Mūsų kaimai sunaikinti, iš mūsų namų, nuosavybės nieko neliko, nieko, nieko", - sakė ji.

Greece's deputy civil protection minister, Nikos Hardalias, said emergency crews were undertaking "superhuman efforts" against multiple fronts.

"The night ahead will be difficult," he said during an emergency briefing late on Sunday. Earlier, he said water-bombing aircraft in the region faced several hurdles including low visibility caused by the thick plumes of smoke rising over the mountains and turbulence.

A fire in the foothills of Mount Parnitha that swept through suburbs north of Athens had been contained but weather conditions meant there was still a high threat it could flare up again.

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