Ηundreds of firefighters and volunteers keep battling a wildfire in Xylokastro by Corinth, western Greece, for the third consecutive day. Two local men have died, two firefighters have been injured, over 100 sq. km of forest have burned down, but also houses and agricultural land and , of course, wildlife as well.
Thursday night and the devastating fire in broken into three fronts, locals posted on social media.
The strong winds of the first and second day have been relatively weaken, however, the blaze creates its own windy environment.
The fire front extends to 36 km and more than 500 acres have been burned down, Mega TV reported.
Several villages in the area have been evacuated since Sunday morning, September 29, when the wildfire broke out and spread quickly out of control due to strong winds.
Meanwhile, Greece has requested European Union assistance and three water-bombing aircraft from Italy and Croatia were due to arrive later on Tuesday
The Greek fire service said more than 400 firefighters, assisted by 20 aircraft, were engaged against the blaze in the mountains of Corinth in the Peloponnese region.
The authorities were optimistic that progress had been made as the main front of the blaze was out, leaving a large number of scattered fires. However, it remained unclear whether that success could be expanded on before winds whipped up and spread the blaze again. AP reported.
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🔥 ‼️🔥Βόρεια των Τρικάλων Κορινθίας κινείται η φωτιά που ξέσπασε το μεσημέρι της Κυριακής σε δασικές εκτάσεις στο Ξυλόκαστρο.
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Καίγονται σπίτια ,οικολογικοί παράδεισοι , ζώα#ΤρικαλαΚορινθιας #Τρικαλα #πυρκαγιά #Ελλάδα #Κορινθία#Λυγία… pic.twitter.com/xEQvoU3u0N— v e l o c i t y (@krok7517100) October 1, 2024
The Greek Civil Protection blamed the difficult terrain and the poor road network for making difficult the work of the firefighters.
Civil Protection Minister, Vassilis Kikilias, spoke of arson as the cause of the wildfire, the second biggest in Greece in 2024.
In an effort to justify the unjustifiable, Minister Kikilias blamed in an interview “the changing winds, the difficulty of the terrain with high mountains and deep ravines, and the constant flare-ups.”
Opposition parties criticize the government for inadequate intervention, while the usual mean Greeks see already “wind-farms” gently decorating the mountains near Xylokatro.
UPDATE
For the fourth consecutive day, firefighters continue to battle the flames in Xylokastro on Wednesday, and the Fire Service has increased the ground forces to 570 firefighters, 28 forest commando teams and 160 engines. At the first light of day, six helicopters began to operate from the air, one of which for coordination, and four planes.
The fire has burnt more than 40,000 stremmas, or 4,000 hectares.
According to the Fire Department, there is no longer an active front but scattered flames in inaccessible areas, which the forces are trying to contain, and to stop any rekindling.
