For the fifth day in a row, firefighters fought a violent forest fire on Monday in the department of Evros, in northeastern Greece, where the Dadia National Park is located, “a difficult fight”, according to the Minister of Climate Crisis and Civil Protection.
Greece has been hit by a heat wave since Saturday and temperatures are expected to reach 40 degrees Celsius on Monday in some areas according to the weather forecast.
Bombers and helicopters
The fire that broke out last Thursday in the northeast led to the evacuation of some villages as a precaution. This Monday, 320 firefighters, two water bombers and four helicopters continued their efforts to contain the fire.
“It is a difficult struggle, a struggle to ensure the survival of this exceptional ecosystem” of Dadia, one of the most important national parks in the country, declared Monday the minister, Christos Stylianidis, who visited this weekend. end on site to coordinate the fight against the fire.
Showers this morning
Protected by the European Natura 2000 network and known for its colony of vultures and the richness of its fauna and flora, Dadia National Park is home to three of the four species of European vultures, including the Black Vulture, as well as 36 of the 38 species of raptors from Europe, according to experts.
Showers in the area on Monday morning “helped a little” to fight the fire but “the fire has not yet been contained”, said an official from the fire department’s press office.