Greece has been burning since I was little child. Every summer an island, a city or a forest burns. How come in a country with such a history the government is constantly unprepared and never manages to control things? Why do we have so few resources?
The government just sits back and lets rich people set fires in the woods so they can build their villas and develop properties!
Don't this people care about the envinroment? What will you do with the villa or the hotel when all you see out of your window is dead land? And if they don't care about that they should care about turism: who will want to come to a burnt country? How is this country going to live without its precious turists?
And regarding the firefighters: they are completelly unprepared! I grew up next to one and all I ever saw him and his cooworkers do, was playing backgamon and drinking coffee!
I'm probably more well-trained than they are!
No wonder we are burning....

Sylvia, Xanthi, Greece

I am an Hellenic (Greek) guy, aged 40. My name is Yiannis (Johnny) Kalamatas. I am an engeenier.
All I have to say is TEARS (reminding me one of my favourite songs - AS TEARS GO BY, from THE ROLLING STONES).
All I have to ask is "what next?"
All I have to answer is . . .
Greece has been burnt the wrost way she could afford to.
All Greeks' hearts have been burnt too. It will takes you a long - long time to see again the classic Greek smile (wellcome - make yourself comfortable) in our faces.
So, AS TEARS GO BY, "using things I used to do, I think of you",
my beloved all - green - and - sea country.

Yiannis Kalamatas, Lamia, Hellas (Greece)

My God, this is a democracy in Greece, we have many problems, but no political party could ever be suspected or blamed by another political party for starting forest fires! At least not officially... Of course, you can always suspect the lunatic fringe of fanatics that exist in all walks of life for extremist acts and some politicians/TV personas tend to play with people's feelings in order to create impressions etc However, the official political parties tend to respect democratic rules. The fires at this moment are a tragic event all over the European south and it shows the degree of deterioration of our climate and living environment. Unfortunately, our political structures, our social web, the whole system is not up to the task of tackling these huge environmental problems. There is a lot of disappointment among thinking citizens and we are all faced with a gloomy prospect: desertification.

Manos korn, Athens, Greece