For more than a week, the fires have not stopped in Greece, with efforts and concerns now focused more on the islands of Rhodes, Corfu and Euboea.
The destruction continues, more and more hectares of Mediterranean forests are consumed, and satellite images are already showing the scale of the fires, which can be seen from space.
The thick columns of smoke captured by various meteorological observation devices, which rise over hundreds of kilometers, stand out.
Copernicus, the European Union’s meteorological service, in collaboration with the European Space Agency, has revealed images of Rhodes, where fires have already driven 32,000 tourists from the island, in “the largest such operation ever in Greece”.
In Sentinel-3 satellite imagery, it is possible to see orange flames near the center of the island and a plume of gray smoke.
forest fires in # Ροδος🇬🇷 Among the hundreds who have spread across it #Greece newly
The country experienced sweltering temperatures, making July this year the hottest in 50 years
yesterday, # Copernicus # Ranger 3I took this photo of the plume of smoke heading south pic.twitter.com/P2mKNLWMGs
Copernicus EU. July 24, 2023
“While fires are not uncommon in southern Europe, what is unusual about the Rhodes fires is their intensity and speed”; Douglas Kelly, a researcher at the UK’s Center for Environment and Hydrology, told AFP.
The situation is also grave, and is evident in satellite images, on the island of Corfu, in southern Albania, where the fire forced the evacuation of 2,500 residents and tourists, on Monday night.
catastrophic fires in # Rhodes Clearly visible from space here, like #MTGI1 The resulting large plumes of smoke were observed on Saturday.
Please note: this is preliminary operating data. pic.twitter.com/fY9aJAiWUq– Eumetsat July 24, 2023
A video from the International Space Station, focused on Earth, captured the various fires raging in Greek territory which, so far, have not caused any deaths.
Forest fires over Greece – visible from @space station. Athens is in the lower/middle frame at 35 seconds.
July 23, 2023, 17:49 EET pic.twitter.com/ql5iWz4tfs– ISS above (@ISSAboveYou) July 23, 2023
Remember that Greece was affected by the heat wave that swept through southern Europe, and very high temperatures were recorded at this time of the year. Without reaching the maximum of 48°C, 46.4°C was recorded this weekend in Gythio.
It is expected, according to the Hellenic Meteorological Agency, that the heat wave will be felt again with greater intensity from Wednesday, with temperatures that can reach 44 degrees Celsius.
