Firefighters are engaged in a “battle” to extinguish the last scattered hotspots in the fire that broke out on Thursday (August 13) in Siviri, Chalkidiki. At first light, seven aircraft took to the skies to bring the fire front under full control.
Since early this morning, six aircraft and one helicopter, 227 firefighters with 57 vehicles, 13 teams of EMODE ground crews, and volunteers have been on the scene.
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In the “battle” against the flames, 12 firefighters with three vehicles from Moldova are assisting; they are in Greece as part of the European firefighters’ pre-deployment program.
Front-line personnel remain on alert for any potential flare-ups due to the prevailing strong winds.
Overnight, heavy equipment from the Directorate of Construction and Natural Disaster Response (DIKAFKA) cleared firebreaks.
“There was intense fear that the fire might get out of control”
“The truth is that there was a very intense fear throughout the night that the fire might escape us and head toward Fourka. It didn’t get away from us. I believe it will take time for all the small fires to be extinguished because there are so many of them, but we’ve gotten past the worst,” said the Deputy Regional Governor of Chalkidiki, Yiannis Koufidis, in statements to the Athens-Macedonian News Agency (ANA-MPA).
“We’ve been here all night. The regional and municipal firefighting equipment managed to create large firebreaks starting yesterday at noon. This has been a tremendous help to the ground-based firefighting forces; the fire has not spread beyond our control,” Mr. Koufidis emphasized.
According to the deputy regional governor, once the fire hotspots have been fully extinguished, the process of assessing compensation claims and repairing damage to infrastructure will begin.
“4,000 stremmata were burned”
“No more than 7–8 houses are believed to have burned, and even those were not completely destroyed; a few cars; as for the forest area that burned, the general estimate is 4,000 stremmata, according to the commander of the Chalkidiki Fire Department. However, all of this is still uncertain because the proper assessments will now be conducted. The road has not yet been reopened.”
As he emphasized, “The priority is to completely extinguish the fire, so that HEDNO crews can enter the area to check for downed power lines and prevent further issues, and then, upon the Fire Department’s orders, the road will be reopened,” he commented. There is a problem with the wastewater treatment plant, which has been completely destroyed by fire, as well as with some other infrastructure, but, as Mr. Koufidis said, “the only certainty is that all of this will be resolved.”
Regarding the weather conditions in Kassandra, he noted: “No rain is forecast, as it appears the rain will reach as far as Moudania and Potidaia. We’re expecting 5 Beaufort winds, but the truth is that right now we don’t have 5 Beaufort winds—at least not here at the Siviri intersection where we are. "I hope the weather conditions continue like this; that would be a blessing."
Regarding the area’s water supply, he noted: “There is water because we anticipated this yesterday, and large generators arrived, allowing the pumping stations to operate. We have no problem with water. As we’ve been informed by the municipality, we have a very good flow. Of course, as the day goes on and power is restored everywhere, things will get even better.”
The fire’s path was “devastating”
The fire that broke out between Siviri and Kassandra left incalculable destruction in its wake.
The flames reduced a large area of virgin forest and people’s property to ashes. Homes were burned in Siviri, and cars were destroyed at the entrance to Fourka.
Homes in the village of Nautilos have sustained damage, while the full extent of the destruction is expected to become clear once rescue crews have full access to the affected areas.
Dramatic rescues by sea
The efforts to evacuate nearly 500 people from the area were dramatic. Following successive messages from 112 urging residents and visitors to evacuate in an organized manner toward Kassandra, Skiioni, and Mola Kalyva, a race against time began to evacuate them.
Under the coordination of the Operations Center of the Hellenic Coast Guard, a large-scale operation was carried out to rescue 481 people from Siviri Beach.
A large fleet of vessels was mobilized to transport the civilians, including two vessels from the Coast Guard, two boats from the Fire Department, three fishing boats, private boats, and a high-speed passenger-and-vehicle ferry.
According to official figures, the 481 people rescued were distributed as follows: 285 people were safely transported to Sani Marina. 196 people boarded the “Speed Runner Jet” bound for the port of Thessaloniki. As a precaution and to provide any further assistance, three Coast Guard vessels, two Fire Department vessels, and private boats remain in the area.
Source: cnn.gr
