Wildfires: Greek prime minister apologises for 'any weaknesses' in battling devastating fires

Greek's Prime Minister has apologised for failures in tackling the ferocious wildfires that have decimated thousands of homes and livelihoods over the past week.

On Monday, firefighters and residents battled into the night for a seventh day against massive fires.

Hundreds have burned through the country in the past week, gobbling up pristine pine forests, homes and businesses. Thousands of Greeks have fled from their residences.

In a televised nationwide address, Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis said the destruction in Evia and elsewhere “blackens everyone’s hearts” and pledged compensation for all affected. He also promised a huge reforestation and regeneration effort.

He apologised for “any weaknesses” shown in addressing the emergency, a nod to criticism from some residents and officials who said Greece’s firefighting efforts and equipment were woefully inadequate.

“These last few days have been among the hardest for our country in decades,” Mitsotakis said. “We are dealing with a natural disaster of unprecedented dimensions.”

Greece has been baked by its worst heat wave in three decades, which sent temperatures up to 45 degrees Celsius and turned its prized pine forests into bone-dry tinderboxes.

In Evia, an island suffering the most severe of Greece's fires, roads were cut off by the flames.

Residents and tourists fled to beaches and jetties to be ferried to safety by a flotilla of ferries and boats.

“We were completely forsaken. There were no fire brigades, there were no vehicles, nothing!” David Angelou, who had been in the seaside village of Pefki, said on Sunday night after leaving by ferry to the mainland. “You could feel the enormous heat, there was also a lot of smoke. You could see the sun, a red ball, and then, nothing else around,” he said. Mitsotakis said Monday he “fully understands” the pain of those who lost homes or property, and the anger of those seeking airborne assistance “without knowing whether the firefighting aircraft were operating elsewhere or whether conditions made it impossible for them to fly.”

But he urged Greeks to reflect “not only on what was lost but also on what was saved in such an unprecedented natural disaster.”

ITV News Correspondent Ben Chapman hears from those whose homes and livelihoods have been devastated

Other big wildfires were still burning Monday in Greece’s southern Peloponnese region.

Over the past week, hundreds of homes and businesses have been destroyed or damaged, and at least 40,000 hectares have been burned. Power cuts on Monday affected at least 17,000 households. The causes of the blazes are as yet undetermined, though several people have been arrested for alleged arson.

Greece’s top prosecutor has ordered an investigation into whether the high number of fires could be linked to criminal activity.

More than 20 countries, including Britain, have responded to Greece’s call for help, sending planes, helicopters, vehicles and manpower.