Tuesday, August 13, 2024

Forty hours after the extremely dangerous wildfire broke out in Varnava, we can now say that there is no active front, only scattered hotspots. During these 40 hours, 702 firefighters, supported by 27 forest commando teams, 199 vehicles, and 35 aerial units—including 17 aircraft and 18 helicopters, three of which were used for coordination—fought the fire in northeastern Attica with superhuman effort. Volunteers, the Police, the Army, Forest Service and Forestry Workers, the Authority of Attica Region, and Municipalities, with the assistance of the 112 emergency service, evacuated and saved 45 areas.

I must emphasize once again that at the first outbreak on Sunday afternoon, the response time was 5 minutes from the air and 7 minutes by fire service vehicles. This is the reality: despite the rapid operational response—the new doctrine combined with technological support from drones, which has been applied to hundreds of wildfires throughout the summer—when extreme conditions prevail, the problem becomes insurmountable. We faced a level 5 fire risk with winds of 7-8 Beaufort, prolonged drought, and a rugged area with these characteristics—mountains, forests, and scattered homes. This was not a simple fire that unfortunately got out of control; we are talking about the most challenging and dangerous scenario for all firefighters, operational personnel, and residents. This is the reality we faced.

The people who lived through these conditions in northeastern Attica know this. Amidst the ordeal they went through—whether feeling fear, anger, or deep sorrow because, tragically, a worker was lost—they know that the firefighters, the Police, the Local Government, the volunteers, and the Army were there, fighting with superhuman efforts to prevent worse consequences. These same firefighters have been working throughout the summer, extinguishing one fire after another.