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Hundreds of firefighters from all over Europe are still helping Greece in its fierce fight against the fires, Saturday July 22. In the front line, France, which dispatched two Canadairs and first aiders from civil security.
For four days in the Greek sky, the pilots of Canadairs from France, Italy and Croatia have been fighting tirelessly against the flames with the Greek firefighters. It is around 11 a.m., Thursday July 22, when the French land on a military base near Athens (Greece). They are returning from a three hour flight. “The risks will rise crescendo during the day when we are at the hottest point, generally 3 or 4 p.m. If ever there is a fire, it is always at that time”explains Frédéric Kretz, chief pilot.
More than 400 European firefighters
It is always a Greek pilot who directs the flight. The French stay behind, because the fires are not treated in the same way as in France. “It’s the size of the fires that differs. They don’t have a lot of troops on the ground, and especially the access roads are difficult. There are essentially only aerial means that can deal with the fires”explains Jean-Marc Matteo, head of Noria.
At the Athens Civil Protection Coordination Center, the tension rose a notch in the afternoon. Homes resumed northwest of the capital, and on the island of Rhodes. In total, more than 400 European firefighters, of eight nationalities, are present in Greece.