Recent fires in Patra and west Attica started from uncleaned plots
Tuesday’s fires in Patra and Menidi, west Attica, started from uncleaned plots of land, fire service spokesperson Vassilis Vathrakogiannis stated to Kathimerini on Thursday.
According to Vathrakogiannis, in Patra, the fire started from an uncleaned plot at the edge of the city and then quickly spread, while in Menidi it started from the uncleaned yard of a factory.
“In Menidi, it started from an uncleaned yard of an abandoned factory, with dry grass and many trash items such as car parts and other flammable materials. It then spread into the Helidonous stream and from there it reached the two factories,” he said.
Vathrakogiannis emphasized that this is the most challenging phase of the fire season. However, he noted that in areas where the plots have been cleaned, it has helped significantly.
“In areas where cleaning of the plots has been done, it has helped to prevent the fire from spreading to houses. One such area is, for example, Keratea,” said Vathrakogiannis.
Last week, the Ministry of Climate Crisis and Civil Protection announced a third extension until July 15 for people to clear their plots of land of garbage and other flammable materials to fend off potential additional sources of blazes in the hot, dry weather.
