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Even before their day begins battling Greek wildfires, British firefighters take an hour’s drive up a steep hillside.
The terrain is dry and bumpy, and the roads are winding and narrow. It is not an easy journey.
With our convoy reaching the top, it’s obviously going to be a tough day. Even at this early hour, the heat is intense. Everyone knows it will get hotter and harder.
Photo: The UK team is working on building fire breaks in the woods
They don’t waste time unpacking equipment, they are determined and have a sense of humor. The team of 21 firefighters are highly trained, organized, fast and professional professionals with great heads.
Hearing Welsh, Jordi, and Broome accents crack a joke in a smoldering Greek forest feels somewhat comforting.
Greek firefighting resources are tense and exhausted. They need help and she is here. At least 20 countries sent reinforcements.
As the British battalion arrives at work, a local man passes by and shouts “Thank you.” It’s a warm moment.
Craig Hope, a wildfire analyst from the South Wales Fire & Rescue Service, is confident their Greek counterparts know they can count on them.
“Knowing that they can trust us, knowing that they can leave this sector to us – they have a fire analyzer here,” he says. “I know what’s going on. It’s good for everyone.”
Firefighters from Lancashire, Northumberland, Merseyside, West Midlands, London and South Wales did not know each other before they got the call for help in Greece.
Photo: A firefighting team of 21 firefighters from across Britain is part of an international effort
The camaraderie they formed in such a short time is a testament to the scale of the job ahead of them.
Their small unit is building fire breaks in a vast forest with fires burning around them.
The priority in this area grew as the weather worsened. Temperatures are rising and the wind is accelerating. In these conditions, fires can quickly get out of control.
Desperate locals fight incoming flames on the Greek island of Evia
Incident commander, Ian Irving of Northumberland Fire & Rescue Service, points out a fire that broke out a short distance through the trees.
The winds changed direction and temperatures reached 40 degrees Celsius (104 degrees Fahrenheit).
“You have to leave soon or you will be stuck here,” he warns us.
Tracy Doyle, of the London Fire Brigade, recalls how quickly the fire had spread the previous day: “Just 10m from where we were sitting, we could see white smoke from behind the trees.
Photo: People forced to evacuate Evia this week
“We were asked to step back a bit, and within minutes you could see an orange flash in the bushes and within seconds it swept across the entire opposite side where we were sitting. In seconds literally.
“You don’t have time to get out. So you have to listen to men with more experience because if you get caught there is no way out.”
Their long, hot days here are intense and dry.
Photo: A firefighter in the village of Pfeki, Evia
Even as they urge us to leave for our own safety, they joke about getting ice cream in the middle of the Greek wilderness.
As we prepare to leave, I am concerned about letting this small unit of firefighters take care of a huge smoking forest around us.
“Do you ever feel anxious?” I ask them. One replied, “We just don’t think about it.”
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Sources 2/ https://news.google.com/__i/rss/rd/articles/CBMifmh0dHBzOi8vbmV3cy5za3kuY29tL3N0b3J5L2dyZWVjZS13aWxkZmlyZXMtdWstdGVhbS1oZWxwLXN0cmFpbmVkLWFuZC1leGhhdXN0ZWQtZ3JlZWstY29sbGVhZ3Vlcy1iYXR0bGUtZm9yZXN0LWZsYW1lcy0xMjM3ODA3N9IBggFodHRwczovL25ld3Muc2t5LmNvbS9zdG9yeS9hbXAvZ3JlZWNlLXdpbGRmaXJlcy11ay10ZWFtLWhlbHAtc3RyYWluZWQtYW5kLWV4aGF1c3RlZC1ncmVlay1jb2xsZWFndWVzLWJhdHRsZS1mb3Jlc3QtZmxhbWVzLTEyMzc4MDc3?oc=5 The mention sources can contact us to remove/changing this article |
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