Efforts are ongoing to put out 73 fires in Greece, said Fire Brigade Director of Strategic Planning and Communications Department, Chief Fire Officer Vassilis Vathrakogiannis during an extraordinary briefing on Friday, but the most difficult ones are in Kalamaki and Xironomi, both in Boeotia (Viotia), due to the terrain and the gale-force winds.
Regarding the fire at Poikilon Oros, the low mountain in the western sector of Athens, Vathrakogiannis said that there were 95 firefighters with 6 forest firefighter units, volunteers, and 22 fire engines with the help of water tankers from the Region of Attica working to extinguish the blaze. Priority has been the Psychiatric Hospital of Dafni. A total of 7 aircraft and 7 helicopters have also been operating, one of the latter serving to coordinate action by air.
The Fire Brigade spokesperson stressed that several emergency alerts had been sent by 112 message to warn residents in the area to evacuate, as the fire was spreading to residences. Aerial firefighting means have been hampered in many instances in drawing water because of gale-force winds affecting flight safety.
The fires in Archontochori near Amfilochia (western Greece), Floka in the prefecture of Achaia (northern Peloponnese), and Chinitsa in the Argolid (northeastern Peloponnese) are subsiding, while the blaze at Marathos in Evritania (Central Greece) is under control.
Kalamaki, Xironomi fires
A total of 215 firefighters with 57 fire engines and 10 units of forest firefighters are battling the blaze in Boeotia’s Kalamaki and Xironomi. The National Defence General Staff has provided a ‘Defkalion’ fire team and a construction machine to clear fire zones in cooperation with the Forestry Service. The Central Greece Region has also provided water tankers and construction machinery, while Hellenic Police forces are spread in the greater area to regulate traffic and facilitate residents’ evacuation. EKAV emergency aid ambulances are also standing by.
The fire developed towards the coastal settlement of Aghios Vassilios, prompting 112 messages to alert residents or call them to evacuate the general area.
Earlier in the day, a Fire Brigade ship and a high-speed boat, as well as Coast Guard inflatable boats and private yachts, safely evacuated 254 people.
Vathrakogiannis noted that the risk of fire is extremely high in Attica and Evia on Saturday and very high in the rest of Greece. All Civil Protection forces are on emergency call, and all services of the Fire Brigade are on alert, he said.
