Firefighters from Poland lend a hand in Greece during a wildfire emergency, assisting Greeks in containing rapidly escalating blazes.
Record-Breaking Heatwave Stokes Wildfires in Greece
Greece braces for its hottest weekend in half a century, with temperatures forecasted to reach 45 degrees Celsius. This extreme heat wave poses a significant challenge for firefighters struggling to contain rapidly spreading wildfires. A contingent of Polish firefighters has arrived to assist in the efforts.
At the Vilia base, Polish units, led by Brigadier Grzegorz Borowiec, touched down late Friday local time. Addressing Polsat News, Brigadier Borowiec stated, "The conditions here are unlike anything we face in Poland." The team consists of 149 firefighters and 49 vehicles from the Lesser Poland and Greater Poland regions.
The fires have been burning in Greece for over a week, with an additional 50 igniting yesterday. The Polish teams arrived on Friday, following a week-long mission preparation in Krakow. General Brigadier Andrzej Bartkowiak, the Chief Commander of the State Fire Service, announced the deployment via Twitter.
On Saturday, the thermometers were already displaying 30 degrees Celsius at 8 AM local time, with temperatures dipping to 25-26 degrees Celsius at night. The persistent heatwave will continue throughout the weekend.
According to Brigadier Grzegorz Borowiec, the Polish team will meet with their commander on Saturday to discuss their tasks. "We anticipate numerous fires to break out in the coming days," he warned.
The island of Rhodes has been hit particularly hard by the wildfires. Despite facing harsh conditions, the Polish team is confident in their ability to respond effectively. "We will strive to fulfill our duties to the best of our abilities," Brigadier Borowiec said.
In anticipation of strong gusts of wind from Monday, Brigadier Borowiec warned that the weather would become significantly more aggressive, leading to a rapid intensification of fires. Yesterday, many people were evacuated from Rhodes by Greek authorities.
In addition to the Polish firefighters, teams from Slovakia, Romania, and Bulgaria have also come to Greece's aid. Firefighting aircraft from France, Italy, and Turkey have been dispatched to combat the fires.
The Greek government has urged people to stay indoors due to the extreme conditions. Tourist sites, including the Acropolis in Athens, have been closed for the next few days. According to the BBC, the ongoing heatwave is a consequence of climate change and persistent drought.
As per Panagiotis Giannopoulos, a meteorologist from the Greek government's weather forecasting agency (HNMS), temperatures in Athens are expected to remain above 40 degrees Celsius until the end of July.
Though reports about the involvement of Polish firefighters were scarce at the time of writing, Greece is receiving substantial support from international firefighting teams to tackle the wildfire crisis. The European Commission has been coordinating the deployment of approximately 650 firefighters from 14 countries, primarily from Austria, Bulgaria, Czechia, France, Moldova, and Romania.
- The persistent heatwave in Greece, a consequence of climate change and drought, could potentially escalate as artificial intelligence forecasts predict more aggressive weather conditions, like strong gusts of wind, starting from Monday, posing additional challenges for the firefighting efforts.
- The ongoing international support to combat the wildfires in Greece includes not only the Polish firefighters led by Brigadier Grzegorz Borowiec, but also teams from Slovakia, Romania, and Bulgaria, as well as firefighting aircraft from France, Italy, and Turkey.
- On Saturday, while the Polish firefighting team discussed their tasks ahead with anticipation of numerous fires breaking out in the coming days, the Greek government warned its citizens to remain indoors and urged them to stay safe amidst the escalating wildfire crisis, particularly considering the potential involvement of AI in weather forecasting and the predicted imminent worsening of weather conditions.
