Massive fire in Greece is the largest ever recorded in the EU

(Patria) - A massive forest fire has been burning in northeastern Greece for 11 days on Tuesday, despite the efforts of hundreds of firefighters and a fleet of water-dropping aircraft.

After burning vast areas of land, the fire in the Alexandroupolis and Evros region was mostly concentrated deep in the forest near the border with Turkey, in a hard-to-reach area.

The fire, responsible for 20 of the 21 deaths last week, is the largest in the European Union since the European Forest Fire Information System began keeping records in 2000.

Six planes and four helicopters assisted 475 firefighters on the ground, with the support of 100 vehicles, the fire service announced. Another 260 firefighters and one helicopter were battling another large fire that had been burning for days in the forest on the southern slopes of Mount Parnitha, on the outskirts of the Greek capital, AP reported.

Authorities are investigating the causes of the fires, which have destroyed large areas of forest, burned homes, and led to the evacuation of thousands of people over the past week.

In Athens, Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis chaired a government meeting on how to restore the burned forests in Evros and Parnitha.

It was decided to identify all burned areas for reforestation, take measures to prevent floods later in the year, and ensure access to food and water for surviving wildlife in the area.

With firefighting forces stretched to their limits, Greece requested assistance from other European countries, receiving 12 planes and hundreds of firefighters from across the continent.

France and Spain sent additional planes to join those already sent from Germany, Sweden, Croatia, Cyprus, and the Czech Republic as part of the EU's emergency response mechanism.

More than 350 firefighters were also dispatched to Greece from Romania, France, the Czech Republic, Bulgaria, Albania, Slovakia, and Serbia.