環地中海の大火事：ギリシャ島嶼部の状況

　例年のことと思っていたら、だいぶ厳しい様子。

BBC Greece fires in maps and satellite images show extent of damage 27 Jul 2023

　ロードス・コルフあたりじゃ数万人～規模で避難民が発生。島のど真ん中を、だいぶ黒々と火災の跡が切り込んでいる。

「Tens of thousands of people have been forced to leave their homes and abandon holidays on Greek islands including Rhodes and Corfu as fires spread across the region.

In Rhodes a black scar has been scorched across the middle of the island to the southern town of Kiotari.」

　気温は45度。…そりゃまあ、それで乾燥気味の気候では、山火事の一つや二つ、当然のように起こるわな…。

「The fires have been burning since last week on Rhodes, where temperatures have reached 45C, and the whole island has been put into a state of emergency.」

　それでなお数日はこうした厳しい状況が続くことだろう―という見込み。

「Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis says the country is "at war" with the wildfires and warns it faces "another three difficult days ahead" before temperatures are expected to drop.」

「The Civil Protection Ministry warned of an "extreme danger" of fire in six of the country's 13 regions on Wednesday.

Civil protection minister Vassilis Kikilia says fire crews have been fighting more than 500 fires across the country over the past 12 days - including in Midea on the mainland.」

　一国の13地方のうち6地方で野火がだいぶの被害を―というので、当方で言えば大型台風が中部～関東を縦断したようなものか。それとも人口の分布から言って、四国中国を縦断した後日本海経由で東北を打撃したようなものか。

　なんにせよ、12日で火災は500件ほど発生したとのことで…。

　地中海地方はえらい状況のようなのである。

BBC Mediterranean fires: Evacuations as new blazes break out in Greece 27 Jul 2023 By Kathryn Armstrong

　なにしろ町長ランクのひとが「のーたりんbrainless workers」が火付けしやがったなとコメントするレベル。

「Kostas Agorastos, mayor of Greece's Thessaly region, which includes Volos, has accused "brainless workers" of starting the fire, according to the Ellada 24 news channel.」

　消防士はもはや消耗して絶望状態。そりゃあ仕事はするが、なんにもなってないことは確信してる―というレベル。

「In Rhodes, where a state of emergency is in place and from where thousands of tourists have been forced to flee, high winds have continued to fan the flames and villages remain at risk.

Some firefighters, who have been battling the blazes for days, have begun to lose hope.

"Every day, every night, we are here and we achieve nothing," Savas Filaderis, who is from Rhodes, told the Reuters news agency.」

　他方、発生した死者のほとんどはアルジェリアで発生している。軍人10名をふくむ30名。

「The heaviest death toll so far is in Algeria, with more than 30 victims, including 10 soldiers surrounded by flames during an evacuation in the coastal province of Bejaia, east of Algiers.」

「Most of the fires have now been contained.」

　…火災は抑え込めているというから、10名の軍人は「仕事を果たした」と称賛しつつ送るべきだろう。生きてこそである、さらに火災は起こるのだぞ、という悼み方もあろうけれど。