Athens, Greece – Greek firefighters carried out a heroic rescue operation, saving a group of 25 migrants who found themselves trapped in a forest in Dadia, northeastern Greece on Friday. The perilous situation unfolded as a massive wildfire, raging for two weeks, encroached upon the area, posing imminent danger.
The fire department disclosed that the group became stranded within the forest, situated between two villages in the Evros region, near the border with Turkey. Fortunately, there were no reported injuries among the migrants, although their nationalities remain undisclosed at this time.
The relentless blaze, now in its 14th day, has already claimed the lives of 20 individuals, whose remains were discovered last week. These casualties are believed to be migrants who had recently crossed the border into Greece. To identify the victims, Greece’s Disaster Victim Identification Team has been tasked with the somber responsibility.
A multinational force consisting of over 580 firefighters, supported by six aircraft and two helicopters, is diligently battling the wildfire. The fire, which ignited on August 19, rapidly merged with other blazes to become the largest single wildfire in a European Union country since record-keeping began in 2000. Its devastating impact has resulted in the destruction of homes and vast expanses of forest, scorching more than 81,000 hectares (200,000 acres).
In a recent development, residents of the border town of Soufli were placed on alert for potential evacuation as a formidable wall of flames approached during the night. In response to the ongoing crisis, thousands of individuals have already been evacuated from their residences in northeastern Greece. While the vast majority have been able to return home, the fire’s persistence remains a significant concern.
Greece has been grappling with hundreds of wildfires throughout the summer, with numerous new blazes igniting daily. While most are swiftly contained before they can spread extensively, the Evros wildfire has proven to be particularly challenging to control.
