The massive forest fire raging in northeastern Greece, which has been described as the biggest fire on record in the European Union, has claimed a new life, the fire department said on Friday, raising the total death toll. by the forest fires in Greece this week to 21.
The body of a man was recovered on Thursday in the Dadia Forest National Park, near the border with Turkey. Eighteen bodies were discovered Tuesday near a shack in an area near the northeastern city of Alexandroupolis and the body of one more person was found Monday in a forest.
In central Greece, a man was found dead in a sheep pen on Monday after allegedly trying to save his cattle from an advancing forest fire.
With no reports of missing persons in northeastern Greece, authorities suspect that the bodies found in the area are those of migrants who may have recently crossed into the country from the nearby Turkish border.
Authorities have activated the Disaster Victim Identification Team to identify the remains and a hotline has been set up that works in English, Arabic, Pashto, Turkish and Urdu for potential relatives of victims to call.
Across Greece, hundreds of firefighters were still battling multiple forest fires that had been burning for days on Friday, including a huge fire near Alexandroupolis and one on the outskirts of Athens.
With hurricane-force winds abating, the situation appeared to be improving, although neither of the two major wildfires had yet been brought under control, the fire department said.
The Alexandroupolis region fire burns for a seventh day after combining with smaller fires to create a massive blaze that has consumed homes and vast tracts of forest.
According to the European Union's Copernicus Emergency Management Service, the Alexandroupolis fire has burned more than 772 square kilometers as of Thursday. Copernicus is the Earth observation component of the EU space program and uses satellite imagery to provide mapping data. The European Commissioner for Crisis Management, Janez Lenarcic, described it as the largest forest fire recorded in the European Union.
Authorities are concentrating on two active fronts, the fire department said, with 295 firefighters backed by 85 vehicles, four planes and two helicopters.
South of Athens, a huge fire that burned houses on the outskirts of the Greek capital and entered the Mount Parnitha national park still has a main active front, the fire department said. The fire is being fought by 260 firefighters supported by 77 vehicles, 8 planes and five helicopters.
Officials have been dealing with dozens of new fires each day, and the fire department said its forces tackled 104 fires in 24 hours between Wednesday and Thursday night. Authorities have said some fires have been set.
Police on Thursday arrested a 45-year-old man on suspicion of arson for allegedly starting at least three fires in the Avlona area north of Athens. A search of his home turned up firewood, a blowtorch and pine needles, police said.
The fire department said on Friday another man was arrested on the island of Evia for arson, while on Thursday a man was arrested for negligent arson after allegedly throwing a lit cigarette into a field of dry grass and olive trees, sparking a fire.
