Hot and dry conditions during the beginning of May set the stage for an intense wildfire burning near the capital city of Greece. As firefighters continued into their third day of battling the blaze that sparked west of Athens, AccuWeather meteorologists warn that they may not get much help from Mother Nature.
The wildfire began late Wednesday and has since burned more than nearly 9,900 acres (4,000 hectares) of the forest in the Corinth region of southern Greece, Civil Protection head Nikos Hardalias announced on Friday.Hundreds were forced to flee from their homes on Thursday after authorities issued evacuation orders for 18 settlements, including homes, vacation homes, two Orthodox Christian monasteries and one convent, according to the Associated Press. Three more settlements and a monastery were evacuated overnight as firefighters struggled to contain the advancing flames.
The fire wreaked havoc across the area, damaging or destroying dozens of homes, causing power outages, and damaging boats as it reached the coast in some areas.
Brisk westerly winds on Thursday carried smoke from the fire across southern Greece and as far as the vacation islands in the Aegean Sea. The capital city of Athens was shrouded in smoke, obscuring the view of the ancient citadel Acropolis, the AP reported.
These gusty winds also made battling the blaze difficult for the more than 300 crew members, including firefighters, ground teams, members of the military and volunteers, battling the blazes.
On Thursday, 17 planes and three helicopters dropped water from the air in an attempt to help control the blaze. Air support had to be halted as night fell, but at first light on Friday 21 planes and helicopters returned to the sky, according to the AP.
Despite the ongoing battle in harsh “exceptionally difficult circumstances,” the crews were able to to prevent the flames from reaching a wildlife refuge to the south of the fire, and from spreading east into the the nearby town of Megara, Hardalias announced.
These difficult circumstances are created by a couple of factors that have created conditions conducive for fire weather.A small storm sweeping through southeastern Europe helped to kick up winds across the region, with gusts as high as 37 mph (60 km/h) reported in in the region. While this storm brought wet weather to northern Greece, rainfall did not reach far enough south to aid firefighters in the Corinth region.
In addition to gusty winds, dry conditions across the country have allowed vegetation to dry out, providing plenty of fuel for any fires that spark, and allowing some fires to reignite after being contained by firefighters.
Meteorologist explained that since Jan. 1, 2021, Greece has received near- to above-normal precipitation, but largely dry conditions have been in place across the country between April 25 and May 15.
He added that there has been some recent rain, but not enough to put a dent in the overly dry conditions.
reference – accuweather
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