Greek authorities have declared a state of emergency in the city of Patra due to the raging wildfires nearby and unfortunately hundreds of students and residents had to flee their homes.
The local authorities said that the fires were burning on three fronts, coming within six miles(10 km) of the western city of Patra and to be more precise, strong winds and the high temperatures drove the wildfires which sent smoke all over the town.
Some of the Ano Kastritsi’s residents were told to leave their homes, along with several hundred staff and students at a Patra University campus. Nine planes and a helicopter were actually involved in the firefighting effort at Ano Kastritsi and at Argyra, which is located to the east, dumping water on burning pine forests.
The regional governor for Western Greece, Apostoplos Katsifaras said that the evacuation orders were issued for two more villages in the rugged area, only as a precaution. “The conditions are very tough. We’re using everything we have against the fire,” he said.
It is a fact that forest and bush fires are common in Greece’s hot, dry summer months. Back in 2007, more than 60 people were killed when these forest fires literally raged across the southern Greek region and it is quite obvious that this phenomenon will continue to be part of our lives every summer.
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