The Greek Fire Department said on Sunday that burning fires in central Greece and the island of Crete have been brought under control, while the country has been battling the repercussions of the fires for more than a month, without rain.
After five weeks of drought, Greece saw countless forest fires over the weekend.
Yesterday, Saturday alone, 72 fires were recorded on agricultural lands by the Fire Department, most of them on the island of Crete in addition to the central mainland.
The Civil Defense Agency issued the second highest level of alert, as the storms, which are expected to hit the Aegean Sea region, from Sunday evening, until the day after tomorrow, Tuesday, could fuel the fires.
Forest fires are common in Greece, which overlooks the Mediterranean, during the summer months, but the government said that extremely dry, windy conditions and heat, which scientists link to climate change, have made them worse in recent years.
Last year, a forest fire in northeastern Greece destroyed a vast area of New York City in 11 days, killing 20 people.
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