VZCZCXRO0577
PP RUEHIK RUEHYG
DE RUEHTH #1342/01 1830432
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
P 020432Z JUL 07
FM AMEMBASSY ATHENS
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 9599
INFO RUEHZG/NATO EU COLLECTIVE PRIORITY
RUEKJCS/SECDEF WASHINGTON DC PRIORITY
RUEKJCS/JOINT STAFF WASHDC PRIORITY

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 ATHENS 001342 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SIPDIS 
SENSITIVE 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PGOV PREL SOCI GR
SUBJECT: GREECE: FOREST FIRES, BRUTAL HEATWAVE TAKE TOLL 
 
 
¶1. (SBU) SUMMARY: An eight-day heat wave and onslaught of 
rural fires destroyed the old-growth Mt. Parnitha National 
Forest in Attica, as well as other swaths of precious forest 
resources throughout Greece.  In the face of at least nine 
deaths, critics have called the government "confused" and 
"spinning its wheels."  The timing of the natural disaster 
bodes badly for the government if elections are held in 
September, as is widely expected.  END SUMMARY. 
 
ECOLOGICAL DISASTER 
------------------- 
 
¶2. (U) On June 28, the last day of an eight-day heat wave 
that saw temperatures climb as high as 115 degrees, an 
enormous wildfire erupted in the protected national forest of 
Mt. Parnis (aka Mt. Parnitha), the last remaining substantial 
patch of solid forest in the greater Athens metropolitan 
area.  Sheets of fine ash descended on most parts of the 
region, including areas as far as the city center and on the 
seacoast, both more than 30 kilometers from the fire site. 
 
¶3. (U) The June 28 inferno was far more disastrous 
ecologically than previous forest fires in the region, 
eradicating forest zones that were hundreds of years old. 
Such was the intensity of the blaze, with flames reportedly 
shooting to a height of six yards, that helicopters had to 
evacuate Mt. Parnis Hellenic Air Force radar station -- never 
before abandoned under such circumstances. 
 
¶4. (U) The Mt. Parnis fire was only one of the estimated 130 
wildfires around Greece.  On the island of Poros, a short 
distance from the port of Piraeus, residents mourned the loss 
of the island's Neorion pine forest and blamed sparks from 
power lines for igniting the blaze.  In Larissa, central 
Greece, firefighters discovered the bodies of two local men, 
caught by flames while crossing a burning area.  On Mt. 
Pelion, one of the most picturesque mountain areas in all of 
Greece, near the city of Volos, at least three separate fire 
fronts were consuming the thick forest on the eastern slope 
and threatening four villages. 
 
TOO HOT TO HANDLE 
----------------- 
 
¶5. (SBU) The Karamanlis government appeared overwhelmed by 
the fire and heatwave crisis.  Media reports spoke of 
"confused" ministers and a cabinet "spinning its wheels." 
Thousands of angry Athens consumers derided power outages -) 
some lasting up to 23 hours -- as the electricity grid nearly 
buckled under record-breaking loads required to keep air 
conditioning units working in the scorching heat.  At least 
nine deaths were directly attributed to the heat as hundreds 
of cases of heat stroke clogged hospitals.  As if to add salt 
to the injury, a June 28 explosion and fire at a DEI (the 
state-controlled power company) sub-station in Thessaloniki 
left large parts of Greek Macedonia and Thrace without 
electricity for the better part of the day. 
 
PLENTY OF BLAME TO GO AROUND 
---------------------------- 
 
¶6. (SBU) While opposition parties attacked the government for 
"abandoning" the country at a time of crisis, the causes of 
this ecological catastrophe lie in the perennial lack of 
planning and under-funding of key preparedness areas, 
irrespective of the political party in power.  The crucial 
weaknesses of the state monopolistic power company have been 
no secret for years.  At the peak of the crisis, DEI was 
reportedly recalling recently retired technical personnel to 
plug manpower gaps not being filled due to budget 
constraints.  In addition to its antiquated equipment and 
poor maintenance, Greece's power generating problem, despite 
warnings that span several decades, remains unchanged.  The 
bulk of demand comes from the south of the country.  The bulk 
of generating capacity remains in the north, thus requiring 
expensive and inefficient methods of transferring power to 
consumers.  The Greek Fire Brigade, conceived as a city 
firefighting force, has been saddled in recent years with the 
responsibility of forest firefighting throughout the country, 
a task that is stretching its manpower and technical 
capacities to the limits. 
 
¶7. (SBU) COMMENT:  Greek pundits claim the June 2007 heat 
wave, power interruptions, and forest fires may have caused 
as much as a billion euros in damage to the Greek economy 
through lost man-hours, spoiled foodstuffs, damage to 
equipment, lost tourism, and costs of reforestation.  The 
Karamanlis government could suffer at a time when polls speak 
of voter dissatisfaction with the economy and the overall 
performance of the public sector.  If early elections do come 
 
ATHENS 00001342  002 OF 002 
 
 
in late September, as most observers believe, Karamanlis 
could feel an additional singe from dissatisfied voters. 
COUNTRYMAN