Many politicians love to play fireman, often visiting disaster scenes and advising real firefighters on how they can do things better. No politico does this more than President Trump, who frequently advises California governors they need to rake the forests to prevent fires.
Today is another very difficult day with the level of fire risk remaining very high across many parts of the country, fire service spokesman Vassilis Vathrakoyiannis said on Wednesday, adding that at least 15 firefighters needed medical treatment for injuries and exhaustion.
In 1910, after a series of catastrophic wildfires in the northwestern United States, fire managers adopted a policy of total suppression: preventing ignitions as much as possible. The aim was to extinguish any blaze by 10 a.m. the next day.
The wildfires that have engulfed Turkiye for weeks have surrounded the country's fourth-largest city, leading to the evacuation of more than 1,765 people and causing the tragic death of one firefighter.
These figures show a gap between the scale of BBQ-related emergencies and enforcement action. It suggests either a lack of necessary powers or not enough resources for enforcement.