Extreme fire risk issued for five Greek regions on Monday
The Fire Risk Forecast Map issued by the General Secretariat for Civil Protection at the climate crisis and civil protection ministry shows an extreme – Category 5 fire risk issued for this Monday, July 24, for five regions.
The Category 5 jurisdictions are:
Attica, Central Greece, especially Viotia and the island of Evia,
Peloponnese, especially Corinth, Argolida, and Messinia,
Western Greece, particularly Ilia,
Rhodes Island
Category 4 – is issued for eight regions:
Islands of Chios, Samos, and Ikaria
Islands of Karpathos, Kalymnos, and Kos
Northern mainland of Thessaly
Island of Crete
The Peloponnese – Arkadia and Lakonia
Ionian islands of Kefalonia and Zakynthos
Western Greece in Etoloakarnania and Achaia
Central Greece in Fthiotida and Fokida
The ministry advises people to be exceptionally careful and avoid any activity in the open that could ignite a fire, such as burning vegetation, using machinery that creates sparks, lighting barbecues, or throwing away lit cigarettes. It reminds the public to alert the fire brigade via the emergency number 199 in case of a fire.
Firefighting forces continue to battle blazes on Rhodes
Civil Protection forces “continue to battle the blaze on Rhodes”, said Lt Colonel Yiannis Artopios of the Hellenic Fire Service at an emergency briefing on Sunday. He mentioned that “all firefighting forces are determined to save the settlement of Asklipiio.”
The force comprises 10 firefighting aircraft and eight helicopters, two of which have coordinating roles. Additionally, there are a total of 49 fire engines with 266 crew members, 16 teams of firefighters on foot, as well as water trucks and volunteers engaged in battling the blaze.
A total of 31 firefighters from Slovakia with four water trucks, two French firefighting aircraft, two Turkish aircraft, and an aircraft from Croatia are also aiding in the efforts on Rhodes.
Lt Colonel Artopios reported that messages were sent by SMS to citizens in the danger zones, and an organized evacuation of critical areas was completed on Saturday night.
The evacuations, which began on Saturday night, represent the largest effort Greece has ever mounted. Police reports indicate that up to 19,000 people have been evacuated, with 16,000 transported by land and 3,000 by sea.
Five-meter flames
Strong winds are fueling the flames, which, at some points, have reached a height of five meters. The Dodecanese Islands Police Directorate ordered the evacuation of several villages and towns as a preventive measure, including Kiotari, Gennadi, Pylonas, Laerma, Lardos, Lindos, Kalathos Malona, Asklipio, Pevkos, Massair, Haraki, and visitors at hotels in these areas. Individuals with special needs were evacuated by police vans, while most others were transported on tourist buses, Port Authority vessels, and private boats requisitioned by the Port Authority.
Help Desk for foreign citizens
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs has set up a help desk for foreign citizens at the International Airport of Rhodes, in Terminal 1. The Help Desk, headed by Katerina Tzima, Embassy Consul, is coordinating the departure of tourists who have lost their travel documents in cooperation with their relevant embassies. Foreign nationals who wish to contact the Help Desk can call the following numbers: +30 6985889650 / 6983209611.
Fire on the island of Corfu and fire threatens inhabited areas of Evia
A fire broke out in the northern part of the island of Corfu on Sunday, July 23. An SMS message was sent, calling for residents to evacuate Santa, Megoula, Porta, Palia Perithia, and Sinies.
Four villages have been evacuated on Evia as a fire threatens inhabited areas. An SMS message was sent by the Civil Protection to residents of the villages of Livadi, Potami, Pernaraki, and Platanisto. The evacuation was precautionary, and residents were asked to move towards Karystos.
Prime Minister Mitsotakis thanks foreign states who supported Greece
Mitsotakis thanked Türkiye for aiding his Greece in the ongoing battle against raging wildfires.
“Our gratitude goes out to Türkiye for sending two firefighting planes and one helicopter to assist us in our fight against forest fires. Thank you Türkiye!,” Mitsotakis said on Twitter Saturday.
The Greek Foreign Ministry also thanked Ankara for the assistance, saying: “Thank you #Türkiye for your readiness to provide firefighting support&assist #Greece in tackling severe wildfires.”
Along with Türkiye, Israel and Jordan are also supporting efforts with firefighting planes and helicopters, the Greek Civil Defense said
In separate tweets, Mitsotakis also thanked the countries of Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, France, Israel, Italy, Jordan, Malta, Poland, Romania, and Slovakia. The prime minister thanked the EU’s Union Civil Protection Mechanism (UCPM) and its agency rescEU – European Civil Protection & Humanitarian Aid Operations, stating that these agencies have once more proved their immense value in times of need.
EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen calls Mitsotakis to express support
EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen called the Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mistotakis to express her support for Greece. She stated that “Greece is handling this difficult situation with professionalism and can always count on European solidarity, as EU firefighters are already on the ground.”
Ursula von der Leyen called Mitsotakis to express her supporthttps://t.co/5QI5N05GQq pic.twitter.com/5rMS3MAcaO
— ANA-MPA news (@amna_newseng) July 23, 2023
