Sunday, 11/08/2024

Good evening once again from the Fire Service Operations Center.

The wildfire in Aigerouses, Megara, is currently subsiding.

In Varnava, Attica, the situation remains dangerous as the fire continues to spread also in some cases among residences, causing damage.

It is important to note that although the first aerial unit, carrying out a loaded patrol, made a drop five minutes after the fire started, and the first ground forces were deployed within ten minutes, the strong winds rapidly spread the fire. This caused an extreme behavior of the fire, with continuous expansions and the development of new fronts behind the containment lines.

So far, nine emergency messages have been issued through the 112 emergency service. The last four messages were concerned the evacuation of residents from the areas of Stamata, Mikrochori Oropos, Grammatiko, Rodopoli, and Amygdaleza Stamata.

Firefighting forces have been reinforced, and at this time, the main defense lines have been established—north at Mikrochori Oropos, east at Grammatiko, and south at Stamata—with the goal of halting the expansion of the fire.

Currently, 400 firefighters are being engaged in the operation, supported by 14 forest commando teams and 110 vehicles, along with a large number of volunteers. A total of 29 aerial units operated until dawn, including 16 aircraft and 13 helicopters, two of which were coordinating the operations.

Additionally, several rescuing operations have been conducted to the benefit of the citizens who were trapped because they had refused to evacuate.

Given that firefighters have also been trapped during operations in many instances, and considering that the winds are expected to remain strong in the coming hours, we reiterate our urgent appeal to the residents of the affected areas to strictly follow the instructions of the authorities.

Further updates will follow as the situation develops.

Thank you.