Hopes that Kythera fire will be extinguished on Monday
- Written by E.Tsiliopoulos
Agriculture Minister Vangelis Apostolou expressed optimism on Sunday that the large wildfire sweeping through swathes of low vegetation in Kythera for the third day will be extinguished on Monday as firefighting aircraft will return to drop water.
"We believe that with the mobilization of all the teams which are on foot [...] we will have a happy result and with the dawn of the next day, with the arrival of aerial means, the fire will be extinguished," he told public broadcaster ERT on the evening newscast.
"This night will not be as difficult as the previous ones," he added. Apostolou is on the island to head the government team overseeing the firefighting operation.
Earlier, authorities evacuated nuns and pilgrims from the Monastery of Mirtidion in the western part of the island, as the flames approached the area.
The general secretary of the Civil Protection Service Yiannis Kapakis told the Athens-Macedonian News Agency that the blaze has formed two main fronts: one in the area of Pitsinianika and the other near the monastery, adding that a large chunk of the first front has been encircled.
Authorities have mobilized firefighting units from all over the country to put out the blaze which has spread over six kilometers, bringing one-hundred and sixteen firemen with 38 vehicles, 83 men on foot, three helicopters and three aircraft. However efforts have been hampered as winds blowing in the area keep changing direction.
Kapakis said earlier the next few hours will be crucial for the outcome of the wildfire, noting he is "cautiously optimistic".
"The next two hours are crucial. If the wind does not change direction we will be able to bring the fire in Kythera under control. It is a very difficult fire. The ground is inaccessible, with hedges and shrubs, and it's difficult for the units on foot to access the area," he said.
