A wildfire that broke out at noon on Saturday at the Strapouries area on the north Cyclades island of Andros remains active, with operations hindered by strong winds, reaching up to 8 on the Beaufort scale). According to the latest reports, 20 firefighters, five vehicles and eight aircraft have been dispatched to fight the Andros Wildfire.
Additional help from the mainland was expected to arrive before dusk.
The areas of Strapouries, Lamira, Menites, and Ipsila were evacuated after residents received cell-broadcasting alert messages urging them to move towards Andros’ Chora (the main town).
Closer to the Greek capital, the wildfires that broke out earlier on Sunday in the areas of Kalyvia and Markopoulo, southeast and east of Athens proper, respectively, initially caused traffic disruptions but were subsequently contained by a fire-fighting force comprised of 44 fire-fighters, 14 vehicles and six aircraft.
High Fire Risk Remains on Sunday
According to the Fire Risk Forecast Map issued by the general secretariat for civil protection of the ministry of climate crisis and civil protection, a very high fire risk (risk category 4) is forecast for the prefectures of Attica and Evia tomorrow, Sunday.
Dry and hot conditions are forecast for much of Greece on Sunday, with the prospect of strong winds threatening south-central Greece, the Peloponnese and several islands, including large Evia, with wildfires – the annual seasonal scourge across the northern Mediterranean, from the Iberian peninsula to Asia Minor.
