From the heart of a man who has lived for eight decades, to the anguish of a younger generation, the aftermath of the recent wildfire resonates vividly.
Michalis, an octogenarian who has spent his life in his beloved village, recalls the destructive night when the fire stormed through. Originating leagues away, it devoured everything within its path in the span of a single night. Though fortunate enough to find his home untouched, the sight of destroyed houses of his fellow kinsmen and their torn expressions brought tears to his eyes, he confesses. “It’s as if my heart is aflame,” he admits, his gaze sweeping over an empty hillscape, once adorned with lush greenery, now blackened and charred. His recollections of a cheerful childhood amidst this forest were now stark reminders of their community lost. Yet, harboring the resilient spirit of an elder, he expresses his aspiration that the rejuvenated woodland will someday bring joy to newer generations, even though he fears he might not live to witness the regeneration.
At a stone’s throw away, in the outskirts of Alexandroupolis, despair paints a different portrait. Vasilis Adamidis, a man in his late twenties, surveys the scorched grove that once used to flourish with olive trees, a legacy inherited from his forefathers. The grove held captive numerous cherished memories of his family – the first steps taken by him and his brother, the image of his grandfather conversing with the trees as he tended them since his youth. The sorrow-stricken Vasilis recalls the harrowing evening when the fire made its fateful approach. Desperation took over as he dialed the fire service, only to face a chilling realization – the help he sought was unavailable. The wildfire advanced with merciless ferocity, leaving him and his brother no choice but to retreat, as challenging the inferno single-handedly spelled certain danger.
Now standing within the ruins of the precious olive grove, Vasilis’s voice breaks as he shares his grief, comparing the loss of the grove to the loss of an integral part of his own life. The aftermath is evident – a lifetime of strenuous efforts and hard-earned achievements razed to the ground overnight. He mourns the loss of the family’s 3,000 olive trees and the heavy toll it has taken on their olive oil business. He fears that even a decade won’t suffice to regain its former yield.
The cruel reality of the incinerated grove and cascading impacts on their business is a grim testament to the ferocious wildfire. Vasilis urges this poignant scenario to serve as a critical lesson for people across Europe and the world; a potent reminder of Mother Nature’s wrath and the urgency of collective endeavors to protect and sustain her.
