Greece Faces 'largest Fire Ever Recorded In European Union'

A photo taken on August 24, 2023 shows a Canadair amphibious aircraft dropping water on forest fires spreading in the Dadia forest near Alexandroupoli, northern Greece, August 24, 2023. SAKIS MITROLIDIS/AFP

Greece is facing the “biggest fire ever recorded in the European Union,” said a European Commission spokesman on Tuesday, August 29, stressing that the Twenty-Seven are currently mobilizing almost half of the joint European air force.

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Eleven planes and one helicopter from the European fleet have been dispatched to help Greece with 407 firefighters fight the blazes in Dadia National Park in the northeast of the country, said Balazs Ujvari, spokesman for the commission. Greek firefighters are battling for the 11th straight day a fire that is devastating the forest in this park in Europe’s Natura 2000 network, known to be home to many raptors.

The fire, which is spreading across a front of almost ten kilometers, is “still out of control,” said one of their spokesmen. Greece has been hit by numerous fires this summer, which the government blames on climate change. The European Union (EU) has a fleet of 24 aircraft and four helicopters provided by Member States to fight fires in the Union and neighboring countries.

It is working to create an EU-funded autonomous air squadron of 12 aircraft that should be fully operational by 2030. “The fires are getting worse,” emphasized Balazs Ujvari.