A fire that broke out earlier on Wednesday afternoon in the famous fishing village of Vourvourou in Halkidiki is raging, with firefighters and water dropping aerial means to desperately trying to content the blaze.
An emergency message via <112> urged residents and visitors between the settlement of Ormos Panagias and Vourvourou to evacuate and move towards Nikiti.
Evacuated as precaution has been also a campsite located in the path of the fire was evacuated as a precaution.
The fire reportedly broke out near a parking in “Livari” by Vourvourou.
Earlier, the police Police, due to the fire and smoke, interrupted traffic on the section of the Nikiti-Sarti road from Ormos Panagias to Vourvourou due to the fire and intense smoke.
Early Wednesday evening, the road remains closed and the Police recommend that drivers follow the instructions of authorities.
The head of the Autonomous Civil Protection Directorate of the Central Macedonia Region, Babis Stergiadis, however, said that the front is not large, it is 800 meters, but the pine forest is dense. He expressed optimism that with the help of the fire brigade forces, especially the aerial means, machinery of the local government and volunteers, will bring the blazeunder under control.
Speaking to ERT3, a representative from the Hellenic Electricity Distribution Network (HEDNO) stated that there is currently no electricity in the second leg of Halkidiki. The power supply will be restored when the order is given by the Fire Department commander. He stressed that there is no damage to the network.
The firefighting forces in the area are strong. The fire broke out in the Livari area of Vourvourou, in a forest where there are many holiday homes in close proximity, and it quickly grew in size.
65 firefighters with 20 vehicles, two groups of units on foot and groups of volunteers are working to extinguish the fire.
8 aircraft and one helicopter are operating from the air.
At the foot of Mount Dragoundei, where clearing had taken place as part of the ANTINERO forest protection project, a fire has broken out, as reported to the Athens-Macedonian News Agency by the forester of Polygyros, Angeliki Natsiou, who is already at the scene.
The forester also added that: “The clearing of the pine forest had ended a few days ago,” he added.
Finally, according to the head of the Forestry Directorate of the Regional Unit of Halkidiki, Pavlos Bekiaroglou, the fire department had conducted exercises at the scene, where fire protection roads have also been opened.
