A Canadair firefighting aircraft crashed a short while ago while attempting to extinguish the fire raging in Karystos. The fate of the pilot and co-pilot is unknown. Air Force helicopters are conducting searches in the area.
The villages of Loutses and Sykia in Corfu were evacuated.
The Sykia area in Corfu is being evacuated. The residents of the settlement were notified via 112 to evacuate the area and head to the port of Kassiopi.
Specifically, the message states: «If you are in the Sykia area, evacuate now to Kassiopi Port. There is a forest fire in your area. Follow the instructions of the authorities.».
A new message from 112 informs those in the Imerolia area, before the port of Kassiopi, that they must evacuate, as the flames have come dangerously close to the area. The police have closed the roads, both to the village of Loutses, where an evacuation message was sent three hours ago, and to Kassiopi.
Firefighters, volunteers, and residents are battling the flames, and there is a sense of frustration as many people want to return to their homes but are being prevented from doing so by the police.
Karystos fire: Optimism after the winds subside
The easing of strong winds in the Karystos area, combined with the superhuman efforts of aerial resources, have halted the destructive course of the fire, as a short while ago they were able to «tame» the flames and contain the fronts.
«We want to be optimistic, as since this morning we have been fighting a real battle with aerial and ground resources, earth-moving machinery and tankers, and we have limited the fronts,» said Giorgos Kelaitidis, deputy regional governor of Evia, to the Athens-Macedonian News Agency, expressing his optimism about tackling the fire in the coming hours.
Already, they have secured the front line towards Platanistos, which was the most dangerous, and are using earth-moving machinery to create access so that ground forces can reach the smaller front lines and check for any rekindling of the fire.
«If the weather conditions help us, perhaps by tonight we will have put an end to this nightmare we have been living through for the last few days,» added Mr. George Kelaitidis.
Since the morning, eight helicopters and two aircraft have been operating, coordinating their efforts to prevent the fire from spreading and extinguishing the large fronts.
Finally, regarding the 41-year-old farmer who is missing, the authorities' investigations are ongoing, but he has not yet been located.
Rhodes
The Ministry of Climate Change recently decided to evacuate the village of Vati, as the fire front has reached the vicinity of the village. The residents of the village have already been notified via the 112 emergency number to evacuate. Strong forces from the Fire Department and volunteers are working to combat the fire on this front, while firefighting planes continue to drop water.
New flare-ups continue to occur in the area of the fire that has been burning Rhodes for eight days, and all indications are that today will be extremely difficult, despite the fact that it began with a relative lull.
Strong flare-ups have also been recorded on the second front towards the village of Gennadi, which has also mobilized strong forces from the Fire Department, both air and ground.
The third front towards Malona-Massari is also problematic and considered dangerous, which is why emergency reinforcements were requested a short while ago.
Rhodes: Evacuation of the village of Lachania and the tourist area of Plimiri
The Ministry of Climate Change decided to evacuate the village of Lachania and the tourist area of Plimiri as a precautionary measure.
Local residents have already been notified via 112 to evacuate to the village of Apolakkia.
