Firefighters on the Greek island of Chios were working on Monday to extinguish three large wildfires that broke out almost simultaneously a day previously, forcing the evacuation of almost 20 villages and a reception center for migrants coming from nearby Turkey.
The fires are also threatening to destroy mastic plantations on the island, which provide it with a major source of income.
Greece has experienced frequent devastating wildfires in recent years, with scientists saying that climate change is increasing the chances of such disasters.
Fires on Chios fanned by strong winds
Some 190 firefighters assisted by six aircraft and 38 fire engines have been trying to contain the blazes, local authorities said.
Firefighters have also been sent to the island from the mainland by boat.
Attempts to fight the fires have been complicated by strong wind gusts.
Hundreds of people have been brought to safety, with authorities saying that tourists to the island have so far not been affected.
The firefighters are particularly focused on protecting the island’s mastic tree plantations, which produce a resin used in the traditional sweet Greek liqueur mastiha, among other things.
Wildfires in 2012 already destroyed more than half of the mastic orchards on the island, causing a 60% crop loss to farmers and disrupting the global supply of the product, known also as “tears of Chios.”
Arson suspected
A local politician told the news broadcaster ERT News that the fires were in all likelihood deliberately lit, citing the fact that they all broke out almost simultaneously.
He said investigators were already on the scene.
In recent years, Greece has spent huge sums of money compensating households and farmers for damage related to extreme weather and acquiring new and modern firefighting equipment to deal with wildfires.
It has hired a record number of firefighters this year, as a particularly difficut fire season is expected.
Chios is Greece’s fifth-largest island and is situated in the Aegean Sea, with just over 7 kilometers (4.3 miles) of sea between it and Turkey at the closest point.
Edited by: Kieran Burke
