All fire brigade and civil defence forces throughout the country remain on standby to monitor and contain some 51 wildfires that broke out on Saturday, Deputy Civil Protection and Crises Management Minister Nikos Hardalias said in an emergency press briefing.
He said that the day had been particularly difficult, with winds of around 6-7 Beaufort fanning the flames and gusts reaching up to 8 Beaufort hampering fire-fighting efforts. He announced that Citizen Protection Minister Michalis Chrisochoidis was flying over Styra in Evia in a fire-fighting coordination helicopter.
Hardalias said the fire in Varnavas now presented a greatly improved picture, with scattered pockets of flames within a contained perimeter and strong fire-fighting forces on the scene, including six helicopters and seven aircraft, one of which was the Russian Beriev-200. The head of the fire brigade, Lieutenant General Stefanos Kolokouris was coordinating the fire-fighting effort there, he said.
The fire brigade also prevented flames from the fires in Elefsina from reaching industrial plants, he told reporters, while a fire in Volos was contained within an hour.
The forest fire in Styra Evia was still burning but did not currently pose a threat to homes or infrastructure, Hardalias said.