Thousands of desperate inhabitants of the Greek island of Euboea in flames watched as "living dead" on Sunday August 8, the blaze which consumed their villages and their lands, on the twelfth day of a wave of fires in forests in Greece and Turkey.
"The battle continues," said Greek Deputy Minister of Civil Protection Nikos Hardalias, announcing "another difficult night" for the Greeks and for the firefighters.
While most of the fires were under control in Turkey on Sunday, the disaster on the island of Euboea, the second largest in Greece, remained the most worrying in the country.
"We experienced fires, but this situation is unheard of," laments Nikos Papaioannou, a resident of Gouvès, before his village beset by flames was evacuated.
In the grip of fires for six days, this tongue of land wedged between Attica and the Aegean Sea offered an apocalyptic panorama.
Along the roads, residents sprayed their land with water, while flames engulfed the thick wooded areas.
Greece and Turkey have been experiencing an exceptional heatwave for almost two weeks.
The fires favored by scorching temperatures have killed eight people in Turkey, two in Greece, as well as dozens of hospital patients.
At the gates of Athens, the disaster which destroyed dozens of homes and businesses was in remission on Sunday but "the danger of a resurgence is high", warned Nikos Hardalias.
A helicopter was dispatched on Sunday to hoist an injured firefighter from the forest in northern Athens where he was battling a resumption of fire.
Bomber plane crashes in Greece
On the Ionian island of Zante, where a small fire had broken out, a water bomber plane crashed in operation without causing any casualties, according to firefighters.
On both sides of the Aegean Sea, firefighters battled the flames in Turkey's Mugla region and on the Greek Peloponnese peninsula, where the situation stabilized on Sunday.
But the main nightmare of the Greek authorities remains the immense mountainous island of Euboea, its villages reduced to ashes and its thick pine forests ablaze.
>> To read also: Incendies: #HelpTurkey, the hashtag that annoys Recep Tayyip Erdogan
"How long is this drama going to last?"
former Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras tweeted.
"North Evia has been on fire for six days. Local authorities and residents cry out that they are desperately alone," added the leader of the left-wing opposition, denouncing, like many, the lack of air and land resources.
"The forces are not sufficient" and "the situation is critical", also hammered Giorgos Kelaïtzidis, vice-governor of Euboea.
According to him, at least 35,000 hectares and hundreds of houses have burned down.
The Greek government nevertheless assures us that "the land and air forces are fighting a great battle, without interruption".
But the air assets are experiencing "serious difficulties" because of the turbulence, thick smoke and limited visibility, said Nikos Hardalias.
Despite the rugged terrain, nearly 500 firefighters continued their fierce fight against the fire in the north of the island, ablaze from east to west, shrouded in a thick cloud of black and orange smoke, an AFP team found. .
"North Evia is almost wiped off the map"
Among them are some 200 firefighters from Ukraine and Romania, reinforced by seventeen water bomber planes and helicopters, according to the Greek fire services.
France, which has already delivered three Canadair and 80 firefighters deployed north of Athens, announced on Sunday the dispatch of "additional resources: two forest fire columns, made up of 160 personnel and more than 50 vehicles" which will be on site earlier this week, Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin tweeted.
To help Greece within the framework of #European solidarity, France is still sending additional resources: two forest fire columns, made up of 160 staff and more than 50 vehicles will be on site at the start of the week.
https://t.co/j3Tv1Clf1Q
- Gérald DARMANIN (@GDarmanin) August 8, 2021
Estimated at thirty kilometers, "the front is too big. We are trying to save the village but the means are insufficient," lamented Nikos Papaioannou, a resident of Gouvès.
"It's dramatic. We're all going to end up in the sea."
Some 2,000 islanders were evacuated by boat and relocated to hotels.
In Euboea, "40,000 people will live like living dead in the next few years because of the destruction of the region," Iraklis, a resident of Istiaia, said in despair on Open TV.
"North Evia is almost wiped off the map," criticized Nasos Iliopoulos, spokesperson for Syriza, the main opposition party.
"It's tragic to see so many fires out of control for days," he said, seeing "serious responsibility" in them.
More than 70,000 hectares have burned at this point in 2021 in Greece, including 56,000 in the last ten days, according to the European Forest Fire Information System (EFFIS).
Some 1,700 hectares had burned on average over these ten summer days between 2008 and 2020.
With AFP
The summary of the week
France 24 invites you to come back to the news that marked the week
I subscribe
Take international news everywhere with you!
Download the France 24 application
google-play-badge_FR