Residents and visitors in several villages, settlements and seaside resorts in the in eastern Attica received order to evacuate after a forest fire broke out in the area.
The fire broke out in the location Peta by Neos Kouvaras short before 1 o’ clock early Monday afternoon and quickly spread due to strong northern winds blowing with intensity of 6-7 Beaufort and gusts of 8 B.
By 2:45 p.m. the fire front was moving towards the areas of Kalyvia and the seaside resorts of Lagonisi and Anavyssos.
The Fire Service announced at 3 p.m. that also the residents of Saronida, Lagonisi and Anavyssos should precautionary evacuate in the direction of Palaia Fokaia.
There are no people trapped in the fire areas, the Fire Service added.
There are reportedly desperate calls for the evacuation of dogs and goats from a strays shelter and a vegan farm.
Two people have been transferred to hospitals, one due to respiratory problems and one with a brain stroke, ANT1 TV reported.
According to the Fire Service, the fire that broke out in a forest area near a residential area, is burning dry grass and low vegetation.
The fire front exceeds one and a half to two kilometers and is moving towards the upper Lagonisi.
The fire that approached the first houses in Peta, where an embankment has been erected, climbed Mount Panio and passed to the back side, while the evacuation of the Monastery of Iera Skepi and the settlement of Heloni is in progress.
Messages from 112 ordered the evacuation of:
- Peta to Keratea and the areas of Melisourgos and Trambouria to Anavyssos,
- Saronida, Lagonisi, Anavyssos
Vehicle traffic has been stopped on Lavriou Avenue, from Souniou Avenue to Kouvara Provincial Road in both traffic streams.
According to the Fire Service, there are 150 firefighters, 6 teams on foot and volunteers struggling against the blaze, as well as 31 Romanian firefighters who have come to Greece together with 5 own vehicles. .
Aerial means such as 7 water-dropping aircraft and 4 helicopters are assisting from the air, however, the strong winds and the waves do not make their work easy.
Meanwhile, another fire broke out near Loutraki as well as in Porto Germeno in western Attica. Locals and summer camps for children have been ordered to evacuate
CIVIL PROTECTION: WILDFIRES WARNING
The Civil Protection Ministry warned of a very high risk of fires on Monday, as strong winds will blow will reach as high as 7 Beaufort in the Aegean.
According to the Fire Risk Forecast Map published by the general secretariat of Civil Protection, a very high risk of fire (risk category 4) is forecast for the following areas on Monday, July 17, 2023:
- Region of Attica (including the island of Kythira)
- Region of Central Greece (Boeotia, Evia, Fthiotida)
- Peloponnese Region (Corinth, Argolis, Laconia, Arcadia)
- South Aegean Region (Cyclades)
- North Aegean Region (Lesvos, Chios, Samos, Ikaria)
- Region of Crete
sources: amna, ANT1 TV, Protothema, news247, others
