Deadly wildfires scorch Athens, Greece: By the numbers

RadishRose

RadishRose

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http://www.foxnews.com/world/2018/0...s-including-20-huddled-near-athens-beach.html

"The country is going through an unspeakable tragedy," he said. "Today, Greece is mourning and we are declaring three days of national mourning in the memory of those who perished." In the seaside town of Mati, rescue workers found the bodies of 26 people huddled together near a beach, Reuters reported.

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The death toll is now over 70 , with many missing and injured.
 

Absolutely stunned by the number of fatalies. RIP

I get the impression they simply are not used to dealing with forrest or wildfires. As devastating and catastrophic as these things get in the US I don't think I recall fatalities numbers like that.
 
Some people had to run unto the sea with the fire burning at their backs. Most of those were rescued from the water.
 

One of my Facebook friends posted some videos of this. Its truly horrifying. The death toll was 80 the last I heard.
 
WhatInThe said:
Absolutely stunned by the number of fatalies. RIP

I get the impression they simply are not used to dealing with forrest or wildfires. As devastating and catastrophic as these things get in the US I don't think I recall fatalities numbers like that.
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That thought occurred to me also.

Fires have long been a feature of living in Australia and with experience we have become rather good at saving lives.
We still lose a lot of property with some uncontrolled fires in more built up areas but warnings are issued using the phone networks and local radio advising people to leave immediately or else if they choose, to stay and defend. The latter requires you to have made preparations to fight the fire. However, if the fire is deemed 'catastrophic', the most serious threat, then everyone must leave. Some fires are unstoppable and so intense that they are deadly to anything in their path.

With a warming planet we will most likely see more events like the Athens fires. Consideration will need to be given to educating people in places where fires has not been a major problem in the past. Communities can come together to help the survivors but nothing can be done for the dead.
 
Warrigal said:
That thought occurred to me also.

Fires have long been a feature of living in Australia and with experience we have become rather good at saving lives.
We still lose a lot of property with some uncontrolled fires in more built up areas but warnings are issued using the phone networks and local radio advising people to leave immediately or else if they choose, to stay and defend. The latter requires you to have made preparations to fight the fire. However, if the fire is deemed 'catastrophic', the most serious threat, then everyone must leave. Some fires are unstoppable and so intense that they are deadly to anything in their path.

With a warming planet we will most likely see more events like the Athens fires. Consideration will need to be given to educating people in places where fires has not been a major problem in the past. Communities can come together to help the survivors but nothing can be done for the dead.
Click to expand...

I think part of problem is over building and/or bringing man made flammables & combustibles into areas that used to be 100% nature. And pyromaniacs get to see the work via social media and television coverage if they are not close up themselves.

Sidenote but an arrest was just made in a California fire the caused the evacuation of an entire town

http://www.foxnews.com/us/2018/07/25/heart-yosemite-to-close-as-crews-battle-raging-wildfire.html
 
Pyromaniacs are a problem here too and seem to fit into several categories - kids getting up to mischief and alarmingly they are sometimes volunteer firefighters who are fascinated by fire.

Eucalyptus trees produce a ground litter of dried leaves and bark, especially in Summer. It only takes a dry electrical storm to ignite this stuff and if the fire gets up into the tree crown it travels at high speed driven by the wind. Ember strike sets off new fires ahead of the main fire front. Grass fires in dry country also race very quickly, catching people by surprise. This is why it is important to evacuate in good time. Once you can see the flames it can be too late to outrun them, even in a car. It all depends on where the fires jump the roads.

I don't know what the vegetation is close to Athens but when we visited Greece and Turkey in 2000 I was surprised by how many eucalypts were over there.
 

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