The huge forest fire in Athens is forcing thousands of people to flee their homes. Temperatures are rising in several parts of Greece to 40 degrees Celsius. Now Sweden is also sending aircraft to help with the extinguishing work.
Greece has requested international assistance via the EU to extinguish the forest fires raging in the country. On Wednesday, two scooping aircraft will be sent as soon as possible to assist Greece, writes the Swedish Civil Contingencies Agency, MSB.
The EU will foot 75 percent of the bill, with the host country usually paying the rest. The preparedness for extinguishing forest fires in Sweden will continue to be good, according to the authority.
“The strength of the joint EU cooperation is that we use our resources effectively and cooperate and help each other,” says Roger Gustafsson, project manager at MSB's operational department.
Thousands leave their homes
The extreme heat wave around the Mediterranean continues, as do countries' struggles with huge forest fires. On Tuesday, thousands of Athens residents were forced to leave their homes and watch from a distance as the fires spread further into the northern parts of the city.
500 firefighters, several helicopters and the Greek military have been deployed to fight the flames. The latest to join is the Russian plane Beriev Be-200, reports AP.
In the suburb of Varybóbi, about ten houses have been destroyed. Shops and holiday homes have suffered extensive damage.
High temperatures in several parts of the country
Several villages have been evacuated and the highway connecting the capital with the northern and southern parts of the country has been closed for periods.
It is hoped to be able to extinguish the fire before it reaches densely populated areas of the capital.
At the same time, more fires are raging in the southern parts of Greece, 300 kilometers from Athens. In several parts of the country, temperatures are reaching 40 degrees.
Can break the power grid
The heat is taking a toll on the country's power grid. It's not just the flames that are threatening to knock out power. This week, temperatures reached 42 degrees Celsius, and according to the AP, the heavy use of air conditioners is now also threatening Athens' power grid.
Source: SVT
