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Greece faced 9,500 forest fires this year, says minister

About 9,500 forest fires, consisting of one on the borders of Athens, taken in almost 44,500 hectares of land this year, Greece's hottest and driest on record, official said on Tuesday.

Wildfires prevail in the eastern Mediterranean country, but hotter, drier and windier weather that scientists link to the results of fossil fuel-driven climate change has actually increased their frequency and intensity.

The variety of wildfires was up 7.5% this year, compared to the yearly average of the previous twenty years, however the damaged land was 14% less due to instant response of the authorities, stated Civil Defense Minister Vassilis Kikilias.

One-third of the forest fires broke out before or after the end of the fire season, which is usually form May to October, he said. This is something that we will likewise face in the next coming years, he included a speech at an event concentrated on evaluating the fire season.

Greece is on the front line of environment modification and has struggled to provide relief and repair damage following damaging floods and wildfires over the last few years, which researchers link to global warming connected to the fossil fuel market.

In 2023, a wildfire burning in northeastern Greece for 11 days destroyed a location bigger than New York City, with more that 174,000 hectares eliminated in thousands of fires throughout the country.

(source: Reuters)