Residents have mounted a round-the-clock watch to try to save their homes from wildfires ravaging the Greek island of Evia as the government promised to help citizens who lost their homes, Trend reports citing Al Jazeera.
Hundreds of Greek fire crews, backed by foreign firefighters and volunteers, battled flare-ups on Greece’s second-largest island, where fires were burning on Tuesday for the eighth day.
Other fronts in the Peloponnese also reignited hours after it was announced to be under control, and authorities ordered the evacuation of some 20 more villages in the region of Arkadia.
The government announced relief measures for those who have lost homes and property as more than 500 fires forced the evacuation of dozens of villages and thousands of people.
On Monday, Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis apologised for failures in tackling the wildfires that have burned across the country as authorities began counting the cost in lost homes and livelihoods.
Mitsotakis approved a 500-million-euro ($585.85m) aid budget for Evia and the Attica region around Athens and said all forests destroyed by the fires would be restored.
As part of the relief measures detailed by the government on Tuesday, those affected would receive compensation for the damage to homes or businesses, they would be exempt from property tax and receive rent subsidies.
The prime minister has also pledged hundreds of millions of euros in additional funds for civil protection, reforestation and flood prevention.