Press releases issued by the Municipalities of Chania and Platanias have announced the rules relating to the obligatory clearance of vegetation from building plots and other parcels of land in urban areas, ahead of the no-fires period which will extend from 1st May to 31st October (unless otherwise modified in the light of prevailing weather conditions). The following is from the press release issued by the Municipality of Chania.
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More drones for fire protection
With the increasing incidence of forest fires caused by the combination of heat waves and high winds, there is an increasing need for effective means of monitoring outbreaks and coordinating the response of emergency services. A critical factor in the spread of such fires is often the degradation of power lines which can causing arcing, further igniting the surrounding vegetation.
Continue readingManaging fire risks in Greece and Crete
As the end of summer approaches, the danger from forest fires is slowly receding, although September can still bring increased fire risks from high temperatures and high winds. This year has seen large numbers of forest fires across the country, but fewer on the scale of previous years. According to Global Forest Watch (www.globalforestwatch.org), the number of fires in Greece detected by the VIIRS satellite-based infrared imaging system is in the normal range for this year: “in Greece there have been 280 VIIRS fire alerts reported so far in 2024 considering high confidence alerts only. This total is normal compared to the total for previous years going back to 2012. The most fires recorded in a year was 2023, with 1,150.”
Continue readingNo-fires period extended in Crete
Because of the continuing lack of rain and a recent increase in the number of wildfires, the Operations Coordinator for the North and South Aegean and Crete, Μajor-General Konstantinos Theofilopoulos, has issued a statement to the effect that the anti-fire period will be extended this year until 15th November.
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