A man who rushed to help firefighters tackle a wildfire in the western Peloponnese has died, reports say.
The 55-year-old was reportedly keen to assist a firefighting effort near the village of Alpochori in the prefecture of Ilia but may have choked on food on his way to help.
He was taken to a hospital in Pyrgos, according to local media, and was pronounced dead. It is expected that a post-mortem will be conducted to determine the precise cause of death.
An emergency 112 message was sent to villagers in nearby Myrtia at roughly 6:20 pm calling on them to evacuate Pyrgos. Greece has been hit by 45 wildfires since this morning, Friday, June 21st, with the most dangerous blazes being in Argolis and Achaia.
Greece: major wildfires rage on the Peloponnese Peninsula with 1 death reported & winds measured at 95 kph/60 mph.
Air assets:
Air Tractor AT-802A Fire Boss x5 (VH-LIH, -FHI, -FNA, -FBY, -FBX)
Sikorsky S-64E x2 (N176AC, N154AC)
Bell 214ST (N512EV)@PierreDavideB @Dinlas3 pic.twitter.com/LuWBwPJ9yK
— Johnny Gemini (@Borrowed7Time) June 21, 2024
Fires are also ongoing in areas of Boeotia, Ilia, Fthiotida, Messinia, Aitoloakarnania, and Kefalonia. Firefighters are presently dealing with fires in Kranidi Argolis, Achaia, and Ilia, and because of the fires, the national road Pyrgos-Patras has been closed.
Temperatures are still extremely high with strong winds.
Firefighters and Greece’s plan to support them during wildfire season
Large wildfires began breaking out earlier than expected in Greece this year amid temperatures that soared to 30 degrees Celsius in late March. The wildfire season usually does not begin until mid to late April.
To deal with wildfires more efficiently this year, Greece is fast-tracking a 2.1 billion euro scheme. This is to upgrade its fleet of water tankers and produce an artificial intelligence-driven sensor network to detect smoke in the early stages of fire.
However, delivery of the new equipment won’t begin until next year. This means alternative methods will have to be found to drive down response times.
Meanwhile, authorities are putting their faith in a range of preventative measures. These include a more flexible administration and better inter-agency cooperation, including better communication between local governments and the military. Increased drills began earlier this year.
Greece was once again at the center of Europe’s fire season last summer. The nation experienced the most devastating wildfire in European Union records. Fires destroyed an estimated 1,750 square kilometers (675 square miles) last year. Deliveries of seven new Canadian-made DHC-515 firefighting aircraft to Greece are set to begin in 2027. This is part of a wider European Union order by six member states.
Two days ago, a wildfire that was fanned by strong winds and high temperatures at Koropi near Athens was brought under control. Arson was suspected.
Strong firefighting forces remained to prevent flare-ups with 155 firefighters, four ground teams, 45 vehicles, six aircraft, and 12 helicopters deployed.