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A burnt wood successful Agia Anna colony connected Evia island, astir 181 kilometers (113 miles) northbound of Athens, Greece, Wednesday, Aug. 11, 2021. Hundreds of firefighters from crossed Europe and the Middle East worked alongside Greek colleagues successful rugged terrain Wednesday to incorporate flareups of the immense wildfires that ravaged Greece's forests for a week, destroying homes and forcing evacuations. (AP Photo/Michael Varaklas)

ATHENS – Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis said Thursday that the devastating wildfires that burned crossed the state for much than a week were the top ecological catastrophe Greece had seen successful decades.

The fires broke retired arsenic the state roasted during the astir aggravated and protracted vigor question experienced successful astir 30 years. Hundreds of wildfires broke retired crossed the country, stretching Greece’s firefighting capabilities to the bounds and starring the authorities to entreaty for assistance from abroad. Hundreds of firefighters, on with planes, helicopters and vehicles, arrived from European and Middle Eastern countries to assist.

“We managed to prevention lives, but we mislaid forests and property,” Mitsotakis said, describing the wildfires arsenic “the top ecological catastrophe of the past fewer decades.”

Mitsotakis, speaking during a quality league successful Athens, his archetypal since the fires broke out, said authorities had faced astir 100 progressive blazes each day. By Thursday, the concern was overmuch improved, with astir ample wildfires connected the wane.

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But the premier curate warned the information of much blazes was inactive present.

“We are successful the mediate of August and it’s wide we volition person hard days up of us” until the main play during which fires interruption retired is over.

The largest occurrence broke retired connected Greece’s second-largest land of Evia connected Aug. 3 and was inactive smoldering connected Thursday, aft having destroyed astir of the island’s north.

More than 50,900 hectares were damaged successful bluish Evia, according to mapping from the European Union’s Copernicus Emergency Management Service. Entire mountains of conifer wood person been reduced to bare, blackened stumps, portion olive and fig histrion plantations and vineyards were besides destroyed.

Copyright 2021 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This worldly whitethorn not beryllium published, broadcast, rewritten oregon redistributed without permission.