A new forest fire has broken out on the Southern part of Greece’s Evia island.
This news comes only two weeks after a blazing inferno decimated the island’s northern side.
46 firefighters backed by water-dropping aircraft battled the fire that broke out early Monday.
The firefighters are assisted by 20 fire engines, three water-dropping airplanes and two helicopters, the Greek fire brigade said.
The fire was burning near the village of Fygia where two neighbourhoods have been evacuated. The Athens News Agency reports that it was moving toward the coastal tourist village of Marmari, where authorities were preparing boats to evacuate people if needed.
The civil protection authorities had announced on Sunday a “very high risk” of fire for many areas of Greece on Monday.
Wildfires since July have ravaged the islands of Evia and Rhodes as well as forests to the north and southeast of Athens, and parts of the Peloponnese peninsula. As a result of these fires, three people have died.
The government has blamed the disaster on the worst heatwave the country has seen in decades.
Climate scientists warn extreme weather and fierce fires will become increasingly common due to man-made global warming, heightening the need to invest in teams, equipment and policy to battle the flames.
Fires all over the world are raging due to increasingly concerning climate conditions.
