Why is the country so vulnerable to fires?

Already 10,000 hectares have been devastated in Greece, ravaged as every year by fires. Is there a link with global warming? “This year, we barely had a few drops of rain. It’s climate change, it brings these continuous heat waves of 40°C”assures Nikolaos Stellas, from the fire watch in the Penteli region (Greece).

A finding confirmed by scientists. “This makes the vegetation particularly sensitive, because it is very dry. (…) It will ignite more quickly, and as it has no water to evaporate, it is more combustible, with more energy,” explains Jean-Baptiste Filippi, researcher at the CNRS.

The region where the fires broke out is also one of the three windiest areas in Europe, increasing the speed at which the fire spreads. Another reason is the decline in the number of farmers and the disappearance of cultivated fields.

Iannis Kolios, whose house was destroyed, blames local authorities, saying maintenance was not sufficient. “The fact of not having cleared or pruned the brush creates a firebreak zone… However, local residents have said it thousands of times”he laments. On the evening of Wednesday, August 14, there is no longer an active front in Greece, but the firefighters remain mobilized.