- Title: GREECE: GREEKS BEGIN TO COUNT COST OF FIERCE FOREST FIRES SWEEPING THE COUNTRY
- Date: 14th July 2000
- Summary: CORINTHIA PROVINCE, GREECE (JULY 14, 2000) (REUTERS - ACCESS ALL) 1. GV: SMOKE BILLOWING OVER CHARRED GROUND 0.05 2. HAS/SLV: FLAMES BURNING IN OLIVE TREES (2 SHOTS) 0.16 3. LV: FIREMEN TRYING TO APPROACH FIRE STILL BURNING ON HILL 0.21 4. PAN: CANADAIR FIGHTER PLANE SPRAYING WATER 0.31 5. WIDE SHOT OF BURNED DOWN VILLAGE 0.36 6. HAS/LV/SLV: EXTERIORS OF THREE BURNED DOWN HOUSES IN VILLAGE (3 SHOTS) 0.53 7. SV: INTERIOR OF HOUSE COMPLETELY DESTROYED 0.58 8. SCU: (SOUNDBITE) (GREEK) ELENI DUDUMIS WITH HER MOTHER SITTING ON SIDE OF ROAD SAYING, Now the fire ended, but so have our lives. There is no water left, no electricity, no telephone. We had to use mobile phones to talk to our relatives." 1.08 9. MV: INTERIOR OF DUDUMIS HOUSE CHARRED TO GROUND 1.13 10. SCU: BURNED FRIDGE 1.19 11. MV: INTERIOR OF ROOM, BURNED FRAME OF BED 1.25 12. MV: BURNED TRACTOR IN YARD OF HOUSE 1.31 13. (SOUNDBITE) (GREEK) MAN SPEAKING 1.41 14. SLV: EXTERIOR OF DESTROYED HOUSE 1.46 15. TRACK: (SOUDNBITE-GREEK) WOMAN SHOWING INSIDE HER HOUSE SAYING It's a total catastrophe, look its still smoking, my beautiful house, my furniture, look at it, it was the most beautiful house here. CRYING SHE SHOWS HER BURNED FURNITURE 2.16 16. PAN UP FROM DESTROYED BUILDING TO CHARRED TREE 2.25 17. SLV: CAR BURNED OUTSIDE HOUSE 2.30 18. VARIOUS OF BURNED BEEHIVES/HONEYWELLS (3 SHOTS) 2.45 19. LONG KILOMETRES OF CHARRED VINEYARDS, GRAPES (4 SHOTS) 3.08 20. GV'S: LONG KILOMETRES OF CHARRED FIELDS, OLIVE GROVES (4 SHOTS) 3.34 Initials Script is copyright Reuters Limited. All rights reserved
- Embargoed: 29th July 2000 13:00
- Keywords:
- Location: VARIOUS LOCATIONS, CORINTHIA PROVINCE, GREECE
- Country: Greece
- Reuters ID: LVAEXG63FTHVFUGAQJPNI2JW5S49
- Story Text: Greece is counting the cost of fierce fires that have
swept the country. Homes and livelihoods have been destroyed.
The government has appealed for international help.
Residents wept as they surveyed the damage from
huge fires that leveled their homes and farmlands.
Olive groves, vineyards, apricot trees, honeywells,
livestock; thousands of crops were destroyed in this
agricultural region on the Peloponesse coast, not to mention
the homes.
Farmers tractors burned down as they pondered how they
would get through the winter. They estimate some 80 percent of
crops had been destroyed, if not completely for some farmers.
Charred olive groves and vineyards could be seen for
kilometres in this oil and wine production region.
The goverment asked for international help to fight the
fires, raging unchecked for a second day, as strong winds
hampered efforts to extinguish blazes across the country.
Firefighters, forest rangers and the army joined forces
with local volunteers in a desperate effort to put out over
100 forest and brush fires that flared up on Thursday,
destroying thousands of acres of forests, farmland and
numerous houses.
Amid some of the most devastating fires to hit Greece in
recent years, the government said it would hire an extra 1,500
forest rangers to battle the blazes, on top of 4,000 seasonal
firefighters already called in to assist 9,500 full-timers.
A total of 52 fire-fighting planes and helicopters are
being used to battle the blazes on the mainland and on
islands.
The call for international help was made as those
fighting the latest fires approached exhaustion in their
efforts to put out the blazes. A recent heatwave, that began
12 days ago, and scores of other fires around the country have
taken their toll.
The Russian government, which has already sent eight fire
fighting helicopters, was planning to send two II-76 planes,
capable of carrying 42 tonnes of water.
The Israeli and Czech governments also pledged resources
to help fight the Greek fires. Israel has already sent 50 men,
two Sikorsky fire-fighting helicopters and C-130 airplane,
while the Czech Republic has pledged four airplanes and two
helicopters.
Germany was also due to send two helicopters and a C-130
plane on Friday, along with four more helicopters on Saturday.
The mainland prefectures of Corinthia, west of Athens, and
Achaia in the Peloponnese were among the worst hit. A 25 km
(15 mile) wall of fire raged on in Corinthia, with numerous
villages abandoned and more than 30 houses burned.
At least 12 people were taken to hospital, suffering from
minor burns and smoke inhalation.
Thousands of concerned residents in Corinthia spent the
night on beaches and in main town squares after they abandoned
their homes as the flames neared. Most spent a sleepless night
as fires and smoke on nearby burning hillsides approached.
Fires on the eastern Aegean islands of Chios and Rhodes
were brought under control, but two hotels on the lush
northern Aegean island of Thassos had to be evacuated as a
precaution as flames and smoke from burning pine forests
neared.
Development Minister Nikos Christodoulakis said that the
fires were no reason for panic and that everything was under
control.
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