The Minister of Citizen Protection, Michalis, spoke of the superhuman efforts being made by the Fire Department, the Police, volunteers, the armed forces, and local authorities, the Minister of Citizen Protection, Michalis Chrysochoidis, spoke during an emergency briefing on the progress of the fires. As he noted, the fires are still burning, but these extremely difficult weather conditions have not caught them off guard. «Our plans are adapted to the difficult conditions brought about by climate change, and our services are operating in an exemplary manner every day. I will mention just one aspect: the evacuations of settlements, which are being carried out in a coordinated, organized, and exemplary manner,» he emphasized, while noting that their primary goal has always been and remains the protection of human life.
«Government agencies are on the scene from the very first moment of every incident to protect citizens, and they will continue to do so with a sense of responsibility and, at the same time, self-sacrifice,» he said, adding that he was on the front lines of the fire from the very beginning, witnessed the efforts everyone made, and has nothing but words of admiration for everyone.
Nikos Hardalias, Deputy Minister of Civil Protection and Crisis Management, spoke of critical hours and extremely dangerous conditions, adding that «Our country has been experiencing an extreme weather event in recent days—one of the worst heat waves of the past 40 years—and unfortunately, we are already feeling its painful consequences.».
Mr. Hardalias stated that today had been a very difficult day for the entire country, with numerous wildfires that were difficult to contain due to extreme weather conditions. Specifically, he said that 81 forest fires had broken out across the country in the last 24 hours. Regarding the fire in Varibobi, Attica, he announced that residents of the fire-affected neighborhoods in Attica who are unable to return to their homes tonight can call the EODY call center at 1135, where they will be directed to hotels that can accommodate them at the government’s expense—both for tonight and for as long as necessary until access to their homes is restored, while noting that they have secured dozens of rooms in collaboration with the Hotel Chamber.
Regarding the fire in Varibobi, he said it broke out at 1:25 p.m. at the foot of Mount Parnitha, in the Ano Varibobi area, in a forested area, while he emphasized that they are currently dealing with three main fronts: in Varibobi, in Adames, and in Thrakomakedones. «The mobilization and response were immediate, given that Fire Department personnel were already deployed throughout the wider area, as planned, because Attica is currently facing a very high fire risk, as it will be tomorrow as well. In the area of the fire today, conditions prevailed with a maximum temperature of 45 degrees Celsius and relative humidity below 10%. »These extreme conditions are the result of the intense heat wave that has been affecting our country for about a week now,” he emphasized.
More specifically, as the fire spread during the midday hours, the wind reached gusts of up to 6 Beaufort. All of this, as Mr. Hardalias said, resulted in the formation of numerous hot spots with enormous heat loads in an area of dense forest, and this fire—creating its own microclimate—reached dangerous proportions. Currently, 520 firefighters are on the scene, along with 17 ground crews, 150 vehicles, the METPE, 9 helicopters—3 of which were provided by the army, 2 of which were used for aerial coordination—as well as 7 aircraft. The Olympus Mobile Operations Center is located at the Varibombi Bridge to coordinate the forces. The ’Deukalion“ plan was immediately activated at noon, and in addition to aerial assets, the army deployed special infantry units and construction equipment already on site, while numerous volunteer teams, as well as water tankers and construction equipment provided by local authorities, are on the fire’s front lines. So far, they have responded to at least 315 calls to assist in the evacuation and rescue of people, while there is also a strong police presence in the area, primarily to ensure that vehicles can access the roads in the aforementioned settlements. Specifically, 305 police officers with 80 vehicles are assisting, along with units from the Rapid Response Force, the DIAS unit, the traffic police, and security forces, as well as the OPKE, as well as three MAT platoons alongside senior officers from Western and Northern Attica. Police forces in the area are being coordinated by Hellenic Police Lieutenant General Papadopoulos. The Chief of the Fire Service, Lieutenant General Stefanos Kolokouris, is coordinating the firefighting forces; a team from the Fire Investigation Department (DAEE) has been deployed to the area and is investigating the causes of the fires. To keep residents informed, five text messages were sent from 112, and another one was sent a short while ago. Minister Chrysochoidis was on the scene from the very beginning, and the Secretary General of Civil Protection, V. Papageorgiou, is also on the scene and remains there.
Mr. Hardalias described the fire as dangerous, adding that it was spreading under particularly difficult conditions and that, at the same time, firefighting crews in the same area were battling two other wildfires along theKaramanlis and Nikis avenues, as well as on Karamanlis and Hatzipetrou avenues. Furthermore, he noted that key power circuits supplying Attica were taken offline, resulting in a voltage disturbance. «ADMIE, in constant communication and coordination with the General Secretariat for Civil Protection, prevented further problems, and the outage was resolved. In cooperation with the Ministry of Culture and Minister Mendoni, we have taken special care to proactively relocate and remove high-value artworks from the former royal estate of Tatoi,» he emphasized.
Next, Mr. Hardalias provided details on the other fires that broke out today across the country; currently, there are 40 active fire fronts, the most significant of which are as follows. At 1:23 p.m., a forest fire broke out in the Kastania area of Eastern Mani; the fire spread rapidly, and the head of the fire department recommended the evacuation of residents from the settlements of Kastania, Selegoudi, Agios Nikolaos, and Kokkina Luria. Operations are ongoing, with 55 firefighters and 2 teams of ground crews, 21 vehicles, and—until just a short while ago—1 helicopter and 2 aircraft in action. At 2:50 p.m., a new fire broke out in a forested area in the Asklipieio region of Kos; where 22 firefighters with 11 vehicles and 1 helicopter were responding and are currently on the scene. We recommended the precautionary evacuation of residents from the Asklipieio settlement. At 3:40 p.m., a fire broke out in a forested area in Vasilitsi, Messinia, and this fire quickly spread. A message sent via 112 requested the evacuation of the settlements of Livadaki, Agios Georgios, Vasilitsi, and Memi. Seventy-four firefighters with 22 vehicles are on the scene, and until just a short while ago, as daylight faded, two helicopters and four aircraft were also in operation. At 5:11 p.m., a fire broke out in a forested area in the Myrtia region of Euboea. Two text messages were sent via 112, the first at 6 p.m. ordering the evacuation of the Kalamoudi and Retsinolakko areas, and the second at 7:55 p.m. ordering the evacuation of the Sipiada and Retsinolakko areas to a safe location. At this moment, the fire is spreading between the settlements of Chronia and Limni, and 95 firefighters, 4 teams of ground crews, 35 vehicles, and, until just a short while ago, 2 aircraft and 1 helicopter.
«We continue to fight this battle hour by hour, with our primary concern and absolute priority being to save every human life; we always strive to protect the property of our fellow citizens, and our thoughts are always with our natural environment. But in the face of danger, human life takes precedence over everything else. All our forces are giving their very best with selflessness and true self-sacrifice on all fronts of the fires, and we will continue to do so throughout the night,» he noted, while appealing to and urging citizens to avoid any activity any action that could cause a fire to break out, especially in the coming days, as the heatwave is expected to continue unabated in the immediate future. «We call on our fellow citizens to remain fully vigilant and on high alert, maintaining constant readiness in every neighborhood, village, and city,» he concluded.
