The Devastating Impact of Wildfires: Thousands Forced to Flee in Greece

Greece is bracing itself for another day of intense heat and wildfires, with the worst affected areas being the islands and roads in Evia. Two pilots died when their plane crashed while fighting fires on the island of Evia. The scars left behind by the wildfires are visible in Missouri, a town that was evacuated on southern roads two days ago. People have moved back, but some businesses and homes have found they have very little water supply due to the damage caused by the fires. The trees in these areas are impacted by the heat wave and fires, and the conversation has started about rebuilding.

In some parts of Greece, evacuations are still continuing, and civilization has started from the very beginning. The fire service has said they’re fighting dozens of fires across Greece, and it’s proved to be quite a dangerous thing. Greece’s defense minister declared three days of national mourning after the deaths of two Air Force pilots who were trained in firefighting and yet died as they were responding to a fire on the island of Evia.

The BBC Weather Center and Sarah Keith Lucas have provided some insight into the situation. Mistral winds are coming down from the north, bringing cooler air into the central Mediterranean. The wildfires are burning across Sicily, but temperatures are expected to come down. The extreme heat wave is expected to end in the next 24 hours, with Mistral winds coming down from the north and cooler air spreading through southern Italy towards Greece.