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NEW VIDEO: Smoke clears in California as fire scorches island in Greece


Fires continue to plague California and Greece. Firefighters in California got a little help when the skies cleared over the Dixie Fire Monday. While in Greece, an “unprecedented” fire continues to burn in Evia, the second-largest island in Greece. The raw video above shows video from multiple fires in California and the fire in Evia.

The clear skies in California allowed more than two dozen helicopters and two air tankers to fly again after they were grounded because of the heavy smoke. This makes it safer for ground crews to maneuver. “With this kind of weather, fire activity will pick up,” fire spokesman Ryan Bain said. “But the good thing is we can get aircraft up.”

The weather Bain is referring to is similar to the hot, dry and windy weather seen in the area last week, when the Dixie Fire tore through much of the historic community of Greenville.

Similar weather is also expected near the Monument Fire. “We’re expecting temperatures to be around 100 degrees over the fire area, with humidities dropping all the way down in to the single digits and teens, so very, very dry and hot air out there,” Incident Meteorologist Zach Tolyby said. “Expecting the heat to continue through the week, with excessive heat watch out through, in the mid week, Wednesday into Thursday.”

Meanwhile in Europe, Monday saw the seventh straight day of firefighters and resident trying to put out the fire in Evia. Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis called the fire “a natural disaster of unprecedented proportions.” It is the most severe out of hundreds of fires across Greece in the past week. The country has been baked by its worst heat wave in three decades, which sent temperatures up to 113 degrees.

“These last few days have been among the hardest for our country in decades,” Prime Minister Mitsotakis said.

Over the past week, hundreds of homes and businesses in Greece have been destroyed or damaged, and nearly 100,000 acres have been burned. Monday power cuts affected at least 17,000 households.

The cause of the fire is not known as of Monday afternoon. However, several people have been arrested for alleged arson, and Greece’s top prosecutor has ordered an investigation into the fires.

Zach Tolby, Incident Meteorologist, Monument Fire: “We’re expecting temperatures to be around 100 degrees over the fire area, with humidities dropping all the way down in to the single digits and teens, so very, very dry and hot air out there. Expectng the heat to continue through the week, with excessive heat watch out through, in the mid week, Wednesday into Thursday.”