More than 2,300 hectares of land was burnt by
the recent wildfire that swept across much of the island of Kythira, according
to data collected by the FireHub radar system of the National Observatory of
Athens’s BEYOND center, which monitors natural disasters in Southeastern
Europe.
The blaze, which raged for roughly three days
from last Friday to Monday, caused more destruction than any other fire in
Greece this summer.
According to the data, 47 percent of the area
destroyed was shrubland, 20 percent had sparse foliage, 26 percent was
agricultural land while another 7 percent was specified as cultivated farmland.
The fire in the area of Kotrona in the
Peloponnese in July was the second most destructive this year, burning 1,850
hectares, while a blaze at Kalyvia, southeast of Athens, later last month razed
331.2 hectares. The fire on the Saronic island of Spetses in early August
claimed 77.2 hectares.
The extent of the damage on Kythira led to a
barrage of criticism against the government, with opposition parties charging
there was poor coordination and a lack of aerial support.
ekathimerini.com
