The upcoming weekend in Greece is set to be the hottest in 50 years. The intense heat poses challenges for firefighters combating the rapidly spreading fire. Polish teams arrived on Friday. – The weather is extreme, conditions that we cannot experience in Poland – said Brigadier Grzegorz Borowiec on Polsat News. Polish units were deployed near the towns of Mandra and Stefania.
Greece has been battling wildfires for over a week, with an additional 50 appearing just on Friday. Polish firefighters reached the Vilia base around 22:30 Polish time on Friday, according to General Brigadier Andrzej Bartkowiak, the Chief Commander of the State Fire Service, who communicated the message via Twitter.
Firefighters departed from Krakow to Greece on Wednesday. The mission involves 149 firefighters and 49 vehicles from the Lesser Poland and Greater Poland regions. Brigadier Grzegorz Borowiec has been assigned as the commander of the GFFFV POLAND module. According to his statement on Polsat News, on Saturday after 8:00 local time (7:00 in Poland), the thermometers already showed 30 degrees Celsius. The temperatures drop to 25-26 degrees Celsius at night. The heat persists continuously.
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As reported, on Saturday the Polish team will hold a meeting with their commander, who will assign them tasks. – We will strive to fulfill them to the best of our abilities. The weather is extremely harsh, these are conditions that we are not able to experience in Poland. We anticipate numerous fires breaking out in the vicinity in the coming days – he stated.
Rhodes: The most affected area
Brigadier Grzegorz Borowiec conveyed that extreme heat up to 45°C is forecasted for the weekend, but gusty winds, which would further complicate the firefighters’ operations, should not occur.
On Sunday, many people have been evacuated from the island by the Greek authorities.
“From Monday onwards, strong gusts of wind will begin. The weather will be significantly more aggressive. Once the wind starts blowing, we expect fires to intensify rapidly” – he emphasized.
Brygadier Grzegorz Borowiec reported that the most challenging situation this morning occurred on Rhodes. “According to our information, a portion of the island was evacuated.” – he said.
Before 11:00, General Brigadier Andrzej Bartkowiak, the Chief Commander of the State Fire Service, informed that Polish units were deployed near the towns of Mandra and Stefania following the morning briefing. Firefighters set off to carry out their duties.
During the hottest weekend in July in Greece, temperatures can reach 45 degrees Celsius. Authorities have urged people to stay at home due to the extreme conditions. According to the BBC, tourist sites, including the Acropolis in Athens, have been closed for the next few days.
Besides Polish firefighters, groups from Slovakia, Romania, and Bulgaria have also joined the effort in Greece. Firefighting aircraft from France, Italy, and Turkey have been dispatched to combat the fires.
“This weekend may be the hottest recorded in July in the last 50 years,” said Panagiotis Giannopoulos, a meteorologist from the Greek government’s weather forecasting agency (HNMS). He added that temperatures in Athens are expected to remain above 40 degrees Celsius until the end of the month.
