Fires in Greece!

[Nikolas]

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/europe/6964345.stm

I don't know how many of you know about this, but I sure know that my wife and 2 kids had to flee Evia, in 03:00 in the morning to avoid, possibility of suffacation and even death...



WHO are those people? I mean, this sure looks like terrorism... but it is totally unctrontrolable, it's not a rocket in an embassy, it's... random. Pretty much like 9/11, but then again there they just hit the targets, so there was a "target", but here? People say that "half Greece" is burning, which of course is not true, but you can understand the devastation...

My thoughts go to the poeple who've lost somebody...

:'(

[Tuomas]

yeah this is really unbelieveable. I can't see any motive in setting up those fires. And I really can't see how they'd spread out spontaneously, in so many different places, all near cities. I hope they get it put out before it kills everyone.

[Nacho]

Condolences... I never heard of such an amount of deaths in forestal fires... I mean, one thing is a big disgrace in a building a commercial centre of something, but... 57 dead people in this way? If they haven' t been able to get away, the violence of the fire must have been terrible.

Hope this finishes soon...

[m0ds]

Wow, that isn't good... I can't find a clear indication about how it happened, is it all arson??

[RickJ]

Nikolas,  I read about this in the morning paper and thought about you.  I'm glad your family is safe and I am sad for your countrymen who were not as fortunate.   

It's hard to imagine that all of these fires stated in so many different places by accident.   It would also be one heck of a coincidence that   so many random acts of arson would take place simultaneously.  So I'd have to agree that this looks a lot like an act of terrorism. 

[radiowaves]

For me, there is nothing worse than big forest fires, (well, yes I know there are but still....) scenery vanishes, lots of wildlife dies, burns and sufficates and they are very hard to put out. It must spread very fast that people are getting killed by fire in their own homes. My deep condolences.

I just can't believe its a coincidence and wahts worse, I can't even believe that someone is capable of doing such a thing. I smell some kind of conspiracy. The reason could lie anywhere, tourism competition.. minerals (if there are any), getting cheap lands.., etc.

[Nikolas]

I just can't believe its a coincidence and wahts worse, I can't even believe that someone is capable of doing such a thing.

I know, but actually this kind of thing has been going on for AGES in Greece A few people go into a forest, set fire in 3 different places (with gas bombs of a sort), and then after everything is burned out, they go and get the land to build on. Everything is SO corrupted in Greece so this kind of thing JUST HAPPENS! You had a forest, and in 2 years you have houses!

Pretty huh? :'(

but in this case it just can't be, because it all started together, although the 2 main problems are Evia nad Peloponissos. Still SO many fires, is not accident, that's 100% sure, and it could be more than just arson...

[Kinoko]

I'm glad to hear you and your family are safe, Nik.

I come from a place where bush fires are just about more common than storms (which are really, really common) so I barely blink an eye at news of fire anymore. The thing is these things can spread -so- quickly, houses can be taken down before people have really prepared to leave and there goes your death toll. People -basically- know how to deal with this sort of thing in Australia so I can imagine that in Greece where it's much less common, that fact is also pushing the death toll up.

[Vince Twelve]

Nik, I hope your family (first) and material possessions (distant second) are all ok.  This looks like some nasty stuff.  If someone started these fires just to take over some land for development, or for any other reason, they deserve some pretty harsh punishments.

[shbaz]

Holy crap! Just look at that satellite picture!

I heard a snippet about this on NPR but had no idea it was this crazy.

[evenwolf]

Nobody count out the possibility that the same satellite that shot the pictures.... perhaps shot a series of lasers?

[Eigen]

Some say it's the extremists trying to manipulate people just before the parliament elections in September.
I hope the guilty ones will be caught and punished properly. This is really awful!

[Nikolas]

From the bbc page:

The fires could have been started as a way of getting around Greek law which forbids development on areas designated as forest land.

As I said, this is norm.

Plus the Greek goverment has issued a reward of up to 1,000,000 euros (!) to anyone helping to capture the arsonists...

[Nacho]

In Spain we hava a law that burned forest can' t be used for building anything till 40 years have passed... It does not work too much, though... 

[shitar]

Probably was Turks :p

[shbaz]

Nobody count out the possibility that the same satellite that shot the pictures.... perhaps shot a series of lasers?

I also have sharks with friggin' lasers on their heads! I will stop shooting the lasers if you will give me... *dramatic pause*  ONE MILLION DOLLARS!

[Tuomas]

so even Finland is sending 3 helicopters and 25 men to help Greece. I think it's a nice gesture, but a bit too late. I mean, how many homes must be destroyed and people killed before it really becomes a scandal? Well, at least they'll finally get it put down when everyone is helping. I hope so at least.

[m0ds]

So someone finally set that massive tree stump alight! :O