Government banking on conclusive assessment
Relaying the government’s anxiety in the wake of the wildfire that struck Attica last week, a high-ranking official stressed, “The fire season is not yet over and conditions remain extremely difficult due to the particularly hot summer and prolonged drought.”
The official’s remarks reflect the government’s stance that the operational staff’s effort to fight the fire cannot be devalued and that a nihilistic logic should not prevail for those still on the front lines during an extremely demanding fire season.
Clearly the fire in Attica last week has negatively affected the overall good picture that had existed regarding the response of the forest fire prevention mechanism. Every fire in Attica leaves a lasting impression because there aren’t many green spaces left and the risk of damage to homes is higher when residential areas are close to forestland. Despite these negative impressions, the government is banking on their reversal after the final assessment of the fire season is completed, and the overall work done this year in terms of fire prevention and response can be positively assessed.
“The crucial thing is that similar incident does not happen,” a member of the government underlines, adding that a cool assessment of the data shows that only 10% of the burnt area was forested, while the final number of homes and businesses affected is less than 100. “The ideal would be zero damage, but everyone knows this is not possible. It is important to learn from each incident to get better, but also to keep the positives by looking at the big picture,” he added.
Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis was quick from the outset to express his support for the efforts of the staff in the field, extolling “the superhuman efforts under extreme conditions.”
