A large fire that broke out in the morning of Saturday 26 July in the area of Pitsinades of Kythera is in progress, causing an alarm to the authorities. The fire was noticed by residents around 09:30 and, according to information so far, has burned a large area west of the provincial road Potamos - Kythera, from the height of Vamvakaradika to Aroniadika.
The front, which is moving west of the hill of Skliri, by 13:30 has expanded southwest towards the settlements of Araoi and Mylopotamos, causing concern to residents and local authorities.
Settlements are evacuated - 112 alerts
The General Secretariat for Civil Protection has activated the 112 emergency alert service. Residents of the Araeus region were asked to evacuate immediately. The fire is spreading rapidly due to strong northeast winds 5-6 Beaufort.
The island's firefighting forces are battling the flames under adverse conditions while from the air, one helicopter and two aircraft make water drops. Participating in the operation are volunteer firefighters, citizens with project machinery and private water carriers, under the guidance of the Deputy Mayor of Political Suburbia Yannis Katsanevakis.
The intensity of the winds and the geomorphology of the area make the extinguishing work difficult, while the fire is in full swing and the next few hours are considered critical. No injuries or damage to residences have been reported so far, however mobilization remains at highest level of alert.
LAST UPDATE: 13:28. (AP)
A new message via 112 was sent a short while ago to residents of Kythera calling them to move away from the area of Aroniadika and head towards Fralingianika due to the fire that has been going on since the morning. Specifically the message reads: “Forest fire in your area. If you are in the area of Aroniadika Kythera, please move away towards Fralingianika. Follow the instructions of the authorities”.
To extinguish the fire, 24 firefighters with a team of a hiking section of the 9th EMODE, 6 vehicles, volunteers, a helicopter and 2 aircraft, while 7 firefighters of the 6th EMODE are going by boat from Neapolis Laconia.
Earlier due to the fire a message was sent by 112 to the residents of the area Pitsinades with the instruction to evacuate through the main road of River Livadi to Aroniadika.
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