Greek authorities overhaul wildfire response plans ahead of summer fire season

By ELENA BECATOROS and LEFTERIS PITARAKIS
Associated Press

ATHENS, Greece (AP) — Greek authorities have presented new plans for tackling wildfires which often ravage the country during its hot, dry summers, including changes in the deployment of firefighting aircraft and increased staffing in specialized units. The new plans come after massive fires last year killed more than 20 people and decimated vast tracts of forest, including a blaze in northeastern Greece which raged out of control for about two weeks, growing into the largest wildfire recorded in a European Union country since the European Forest Fire Information System began keeping records in 2000. The government has pointed to a changing climate and extreme weather, including drier winters and more frequent summer heatwaves, as contributing to an increased risk of wildfires.