Emergency 112 alert issued for eastern Attica wildfire
An emergency 112 alert has been issued to residents near the fire that broke out near the villages of Stamata and Rodopoli in eastern Attica.
At 2.15 p.m., the Civil Protection issued the SMS alert to residents in the area, urging them to close all openings to their buildings.
“If you are in Stamata, Rodopoli, Ekali, Drosia, Dionysos, close chimneys, windows, doors to prevent sparks from entering the building,” the bilingual text message read.
The message also contained a link on precautions that should be taken.
A strong breeze in the area has hampered the firefighting effort.
“A strong firefighting force is doing everything possible to prevent the flames reaching the houses of the Galini settlement in Stamata. The strong winds, now reaching force 6, are making the firefighters’ mission very difficult,” Fire Service spokesman Vassilis Vathrakogiannis said.
According to reports, firefighters are battling a number of small blazes inbetween houses in the area.
According to the mayor of Dionysos, Yiannis Kalafatelis, the Galini settlement has been evacuated and the fire is moving towards Dionysos, aided by the wind.
The firefighting operation, which began on Tuesday morning, involves ground and aerial units. In particular, 68 firefighters and 22 tenders have been called to the scene, where three ground units are assisting. Four aircraft and five helicopters are also involved in the operation.
Local municipality workers and volunteers are also attending the blaze.
Meanwhile, firefighters have extinguished another fire that broke out in a forested area in Vyronas, a southeastern suburb of Athens, near Kaisariani.
Fifteen firefighters, 7 tenders and 1 helicopter had attended the scene.
[ANA-MPA]
