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Blaze in popular Athens park shocks locals
A volunteer firefighter tries to get a grip on the situation yesterday after a large fire broke out in a popular park in Kaisariani, eastern Athens... |
EDITORIAL |
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Fires are everyone’s business
Forest fires have become a permanent fixture in everyday life in Greece, and last year the government was incredibly slow in reacting to their destructive force, showing clear signs of organizational weakness.
Much has been done to remedy the situation since last summer. One of the most important steps is that the leadership of the competent ministry has been put on 24-hour alert and is in a state of constant readiness. |
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EDITORIAL:AthensPlus |
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Urban lab
The growing desperation with which Athenians watch their surrounding mountains for any sign of smoke is an indication of how degraded life in the capital has become. A year ago, most of the pine and fir forest on Mount Parnitha was destroyed by a fire that started on the other side of the mountain and, through incompetence and mixed signals on the part of the authorities, was allowed to rage out of control. This year, on June 26, a fire broke out in the lush pine forest on the northeastern slopes of Mount Hymettus, among the last bits of a major reforestry project carried out largely by volunteers after World War II, during which the mountain was denuded by Athenians searching for firewood.
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