Wildfire Raging Out of Control on Serifos Island

A large wildfire was raging out of control on the Cyclades island of Serifos since Saturday evening, and has an active front of more than 15 kilometers, according to local authorities.

The mayor of the island, located in the middle of the Aegean, has described it as a disaster of “biblical” proportions and says that it has caused “Immense destruction. Burnt houses, burnt holiday homes, burnt warehouses.”

Residents of several villages have been evacuated towards the main town of Chora or to Serifos’ port, and firefighters have arrived with vehicles from another nearby island.

However, the mayor told press that the front “is so extensive that we don’t know where to go. We want to hold out to avoid further damage until reinforcements arrive from Athens.”

The fire started around 18:00 local time on Saturday and, due to strong and constantly changing wind direction, moved quickly in different directions towards residential areas, prompting evacuations.

The strong and shifting winds are creating difficult conditions for fire fighters, who are expected to be supported by aerial firefighting means when the sun rises on Sunday.

Greece’s Minister of Climate Change and Civil Protection had warned the public on Friday that there would be a very high risk of wildfires throughout the country until late Sunday on account of high temperatures, dry conditions and high winds.

The specific island, similar to most in the Cyclades chain, features mostly shrubs and brushland, with patches of cultivations, such as olive trees. The specific area on Serifos, however, also reportedly has beehives.