Athens: Greek firefighters persisted in combating a wildfire on Kos island for a second consecutive day on Tuesday, as hundreds of evacuated tourists and locals began returning to their residences and hotels.
The blaze reached the seaside village of Kardamaina overnight, prompting residents to seek refuge in a sports center and other facilities, according to Christos Efstratiou, deputy governor for the Dodecanese islands, as reported by Reuters.
By Tuesday morning, the wildfire had subsided, allowing people to return safely, with no reported damage to buildings, Efstratiou confirmed. However, more than 100 firefighters, supported by a helicopter, remained engaged in efforts to prevent the blaze from rekindling, stated the fire brigade.
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Throughout Greece, numerous fires erupted, including two near Athens over the weekend. Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis cautioned on Monday about a perilous summer of wildfires amid an extended period of drought.
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Emergency crews, assisted by water-carrying planes, also battled wildfires on Chios and Crete islands on Tuesday. Greece experiences frequent wildfires, but the combination of hotter, drier, and windier conditions—attributed to climate change by scientists—has heightened their frequency and intensity.
