Massive blaze rages on North Evia

An arc of flames has engulfed much of northern Evia (classical name Euboea), with the fronts first heading towards the northeast from the now scorched Rovies and Limni coastal towns. Northern Evia is one of the most forested areas in Greece, but mainly with wildfire-prone pine forests spread out over hills, mountains, gorges and crevices. The area’s interior is sparsely populated, whereas numerous settlements are located on the coasts.

The main effort on Sunday evening was to keep the flames away from the northern resort town of Pefki, an arduous task given that fire-fighting aircraft not cannot operate, while ground forces are also hampered by the rough terrain.

Other active fronts remained in the northeast Peloponnese and in south-central Fokida prefecture, while the destructive wildfire fronts northwest and north of the greater Athens area appear to have been controlled after burning thousands of hectares and scores of homes and businesses.