The fire in western Attica, which started in the Vilia region on Monday, is delimited and all firefighters will remain in the region until it is fully controlled, Citizen Protection Minister Michalis Chrissochoidis said on Friday night.

At a regular briefing on fires, the minister said that the fire’s perimeter was doused with water by a total of 18 helicopters and 10 airplanes, including the Beriev from Russia, all of which operated until sunset.

In the last 24 hours, a total of 41 new fires broke out, he said, and firefightings are dealing with 76 forest fires in Greece. The Army and police have contributed staff and means as well, he said.

The fire that broke out in Daskalio area of Keratea, eastern Attica, “grew out of control quickly and spread to the first homes,” Chrissochoidis said, leading to the evacuation of Panorama village. “According to witnesses, the fire was caused by someone or more fellow-Greeks using a flare,” the minister said. The fire was put out without damaging homes and is under investigation by arson units.

He also noted a decision by the Supreme Court prosecutor a few days ago, who called on the special prosecutor for organized crime to investigate in depth the cause of all the large fires that broke out this year, with the assistance of Fire Brigade and Hellenic Police experts.

Chrissochoidis said that the police, the army and the Fire Brigade are patrolling all urban forests, rural forests, and other high-risk areas on a 24-hour basis, to report of any fires or suspicious behavior in a timely way.

Saturday is a high-risk day for fires as strong winds are forecast, the minister said, calling for continued vigilance and prevention of avoidance of risky actions that lead to fires.

 First compensation payments for fire-afflicted paid out 

Initial compensation packages for fire-afflicted homes and businesses were paid out on Friday, amounting to 3.74 million for 528 entities, the Finance Ministry said.

A total of 2.34 million was paid to 363 individuals (as prepayment on future aid) for housing assistance; 945,742 was paid to 308 individuals for house furnishings and appliances; and 453,000 was paid to 169 businesses affected (prepayment on future aid).

The amounts will be credited to bank accounts by the end of the day. Entitled to the compensation is anyone affected by the fires from July 27 to August 13, who applies through the new arogi.gov.gr platform. Applications must be submitted by September 30.