Greece mourns a lost paradise of pristine pine forests after nine-day long wildfires.
Moreover, dozens of homes were scorched by the wildfires.
The Greek seaside village of Rovies had long been a popular retreat for Greek and foreign tourists.
Its locals are living off honey, resin and olive oil farming.
However, wildfires have turned the forest and beehives into ashes.
Authority Failure
Local residents decried lack of the government support to avoid the damages.
In Rovies, as in other villages across the island, residents said the government failed to protect their homes and the forest.
Many of those evacuated decried the delied support from the government.
A fire brigade official said he understood people who lost their homes were upset.
But, he said firefighters had done all they could.
“All firefighters, all fire engines were in the fronts from the beginning,” the offical saidز
Meanwhile, Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis has publicly apologised for delays in the firefighting effort.
Therefore, he announced 500-million-euro ($587 million) relief package, while defending his government’s action.
“I want to tell them that I completely understand what they feel, both the pain and the disappointment, and the desperation,” he told a news conference on Thursday.
“I want to tell them they will not be unassisted, the state will be close to them.”
A Week-Long Wildfire
Greece’s second-largest island has been on fire for nine days.
Firefighters and citizens worked together to battle against wildfires to save their houses from flames. Blazes swept through dwellings, businesses and trees.
Thousands of residents fled their houses.
As the wildfires were massive, the sky turned orange, blocking the sun. Evia island, which is full of forests and coves, caught blazes in the northern part.
The fire in Evia island is not the only one in Greece, as the country has been witnessing tens of wildfires in the past week. However, Evia’s fire is the most intense among them.
The fire in Evia broke out on Tuesday, August 3. The country saw the worst heatwave in the past 30 years, with extreme temperatures reaching 45 degrees Celsius.
The fire burned Greece’s largest forests, and trees as high temperatures hit the country amid a hot summer. And fires turned them into ashes.
The wildfires are beyond Greece’s firefighters’ capabilities. This led the government to seek international help. And around 20 countries in Europe and MENA region sent backups.
