As fire season fast approaches, Greece’s planners look for an edge in response time

By DEREK GATOPOULOS
Associated Press

GLYKA NERA, Greece (AP) — Authorities in Greece are stepping up multi-agency fire drills in an attempt to reduce response times ahead of the summer fire season that officially starts May 1. Temperatures touched 30 degrees Celsius (86 Fahrenheit) in late March and large wildfires are already breaking out weeks earlier than expected, adding to concern after Greece suffered the worse wildfires in Europe last year. Government planners are overhauling the firefighting response and hope to improve cooperation with military and civilian authorities. For the short term, they are counting largely on preventive measures because major technical upgrades won’t start until 2025.