190 firefighters battle wildfire on Greek island

Villages have been evacuated as wildfires rage on the Greek island of Chios. Firefighters are also reporting power outages.

Firefighters are trying for a second day on Monday to control wildfires on the Greek island of Chios, where several villages have been evacuated.

This is reported by the Reuters news agency.

Around 190 firefighters have been deployed and are receiving help from the air by planes and helicopters.

The fire department is trying to keep the fire away from both homes and several areas known for the production of mastic. This is resin from the mastic tree, which can be used in the cosmetics industry and for cooking, among other things. Gusts of wind are complicating the extinguishing work on Monday. Both forests and grasslands have burned down.

Must leave home

A Greek fire service official, speaking on condition of anonymity, told Reuters that “dozens” of villagers had been forced to leave their homes, while there were also power outages.

Chios, located in the Aegean Sea near the Turkish coast, has around 50,000 inhabitants.

The Greek authorities have hired a record number of firefighters this year in anticipation of a difficult fire season.

This comes after several years in which the country has felt both the environmental and economic consequences of frequent forest fires, which, according to researchers, climate change has helped to fuel.

Greece has spent hundreds of millions of euros to compensate households and agriculture for damage caused by the extreme weather.

The purchase of new fire-fighting equipment has also been a major expense in Greece.