the prime minister went on national tv on thursday to urge people, if they are asked to evacuate and to avoid all non essential travel, he reminded them that when there was a cyclone that hit greece in 2020, there was compensation if your home was destroyed or your crops were destroyed, of 5000 8000 euros per household or business, but people are reluctant to go, monks in evia are reluctant to leave, residents in the west of greece are reluctant to leave, because there is a lack of resources and they want to be on hand to stop the fires spreading throughout their homes. and the prime minister referenced climate change? he says that climate change is a reality in the country now. of course, climate change increases the risk of hot dry weather and by increasing the temperature and frequency of droughts, they can cause more wildfires. some would say he is shifting the blame, local politicians were denouncing him for a lack of resources, but he is insisting that the phenomenon is too great
north macedonians are also asking, just what is behind this summer heatwave that s causing familiar seasonal fires to act in such extreme ways? mark lobel, bbc news. nikolia apostolou is a freelance journalist, and she travels between athens and kalamata, greece, which is where she joins us from now. thank you forjoining us. please bring us up to date on the latest picture. bring us up to date on the latest icture. , , bring us up to date on the latest icture. . , ., picture. this is the fourth day greece is picture. this is the fourth day greece is battling picture. this is the fourth day greece is battling the - picture. this is the fourth day i greece is battling the wildfires, saw thousands of greeks have fled their homes, and fios even reached an archaeological site. right now, the biggest fire is in athens, on the biggest fire is in athens, on the outskirts, and in evia. the government is saying that the fire in athens could have been contained quickly on tuesday, something t
go to the island of evia, homes have been destroyed and also about a street was surrounded by fire and, because of the rolling hills and visibility has been really difficult to put the out there. if you go to the west of the peloponnese, you will see ancient 0lympia. firefighters have been working overnight to save that historic site where the olympic flame is lit every two years before the olympics, of course. of course 0lympics, of course. of course there is great concern. in there is great concern. in terms of there is great concern. in terms of the effort of evacuating people, how is that going? evacuating people, how is that auoin ? ~ , going? the prime minister went on national going? the prime minister went on national tv going? the prime minister went on national tv on going? the prime minister went on national tv on thursday - going? the prime minister went on national tv on thursday to i on national tv on thursday to urged people, if they are asked to evacuate and avoi
as you were saying, says there is a menacing time ahead, and that s because fires that were dying out have had a new lease of life breathed into them by westerly winds and they are very concerned about that. if you go to the east, 100 kilometres east of athens, to evia, to the island there, the second biggest island after crete, homes have been destroyed, and also a monastery was surrounded by fire there and because of the rolling hills and low visibility it has been really difficult to put the fires out there. and if you go to the west and peloponnese, you ll see ancient 0lympia, which you mentioned and that has really considered people. firefighters have been working overnight, for two nights now, to save that historic site where the olympic flame is lit every two years before the olympics, of course, and so there is great concern. in terms of the efforts to evacuate people, get them out of the danger areas, how is that going?
and we also understand how dangerous this is. where i m in here in athens, it is a very green area, all around me there is immense devastation, the forest has been completely burned down, houses have been destroyed. and people have been left homeless. i ve spoken to plenty of the residents here, they are all still in shock about what has been happening. there are other fires as well burning in greece, there is a huge fire on the island of evia, an island very popular with both tourists and locals as well. and there people have been evacuated by boat. what you have to understand is that there is almost breaking news i would call it every half hour, every one hour, about a new fire breaking out. it is what we re experiencing in greece is just unprecedented. that background behind you