Two fire fronts in Boeotia, barrage of evacuations - Third day of battle in Rethymno, no aerial vehicles flying

On Friday morning, a fire broke out in the Xironomi district of Boeotia, raising the alarm. After the reinforcement of the forces, 59 firefighters are working to extinguish the fire with 3 groups of hikers from the 4th EMODE and 20 vehicles, and from the air, 2 helicopters and 2 aircraft.

The firefighting forces are being assisted by water tankers and construction machinery from the Municipality of Thebes.

A short time later, a second front broke out in Kalamaki.

In Boeotia, the authorities have evacuated Xironomi, Aliki, Agios Nikolaos and Agios Vasilios.

Large fire in Fichtia, Argolida, near Mycenae - The Old National Highway was closed

The Fire Department was alerted on the morning of Friday, July 31, due to a large fire that broke out in the Fichtia area of ​​Argolida, close to the archaeological site of Mycenae, as reported by the Argolic Fire Department.
122 was called in the area for readiness.

Mayor's appeal to Thebes

The mayor of Thebes calls on the public to listen to the instructions of the authorities:

"We have a very serious front in the Kalamaki area, in Agios Vasilios, a holiday resort, where people must be evacuated, probably by water. It is difficult because we do not have the assistance of air support due to the winds," said the mayor of Thebes, Giorgos Anastasiou.

Fire in a forest area in Kalamaki, Thebes - Message from 112
Immediate mobilization of the fire brigade for a fire in Kalamaki, Thebes.

The Fire Department Operations Center was informed of the outbreak of the fire at approximately 09:00 and 16 firefighters with two groups of pedestrian units of the 4th EMODE and two fire engines are operating at the scene.

A helicopter was also mobilized to reinforce the extinguishing operation, however the strong winds blowing in the area are making the work of the aerial vehicles difficult. Water tankers and construction machinery of the Municipality of Thebes are assisting in the effort to contain the fire.

At 09:37, a message was sent via 112 for the evacuation of those in the area of ​​Agios Vasilios, in the direction of Kapareli, due to the development of the fire.

The large fire in Rethymno is in full swing - In recession in Sitia, Atherinolako, Agia Triada

At the same time, the large fire in South Rethymno remains in full swing, to which a large force of the Fire Service is attempting to deal. The nature of the fire, the strong winds, the topography and the relief of the area are making the work of the firefighting forces difficult, according to an update to the ΑΕ-ΜΕΑ from the Coordination Center.

Krya Vrysi, southern areas of the Municipality of Agios Vasilios in Rethymno and the Preveli side are occupied by scattered teams of firefighters after their mobilization from the entire region of Crete. The forces of the infantry divisions and the EMODE operating on the fronts have been reinforced by Mechanized Units from the Mainland and are trying to stop the development of the outbreaks against strong winds.

Firefighting work is also being provided by many residents of the villages and volunteers, while water tankers from the local governments of Agios Vasilios, Amari, Rethymno and southern municipalities of Heraklion, along with construction machinery, are contributing to the fight of the men and women of the fire brigade.

The efforts of the fire brigade to contain the fronts, to limit their spread, mainly on the Agia Paraskevi front, so that it does not reach the houses of the village, until the aerial vehicles can once again enter the battle of extinguishing.

In Atherinolakos, Sitia, the situation, according to the information provided to APE-MPE by the coordination center, is characterized as much better with the fire burning on the peaks of the area without threatening populated areas. In Agia Triada and Atherinolakos, the front is characterized as in a recession, but the forces are on full alert due to the winds blowing in order to prevent any resurgence.

Over 270 firefighters are operating in Rethymno and Sitia, with the bulk of them operating in southern Rethymno, where the destruction is enormous from the multiple fronts on the two-day period of July 29-30. Large areas of land have been burned and according to data and analyses of the Copernicus Sentinel-2 satellite by the Athens Observatory and its scientific team, the estimated affected areas to date are approximately 45,000 acres, without calculating the areas of burned land from the new fire in the wider area of ​​Preveli.

In the meantime, investigations into the causes of the fire that started in Krya Vrysi are ongoing by the local investigative teams for the Prevention of Arson Crimes and the Special Team from Athens, which is in the area in collaboration with the Hellenic Police.

Small outbreaks of fire are occurring throughout Crete in various areas, which, however, according to the officials of the Coordination Center, are being dealt with immediately and effectively without ultimately occupying many forces for a long time.

Firefighters operating in Flokas, Achaia have been reinforced

Firefighters operating in the Flokas area of ​​the Municipality of Western Achaia have been reinforced in order to bring under control the fire burning in a forest area. As reported by ERT, the fire is burning on two fronts, while strong winds are blowing in the area.

Specifically, 114 firefighters are operating on the fire, with five groups of foot soldiers from the 6th, 9th and 18th EMODE divisions and 27 vehicles, while four firefighting planes and three helicopters are dropping water from the air.

The work of the firefighting forces is being assisted by water tankers and local government machinery.