Evia – Endless national tragedy – Resurgent wildfires for the 7th day

Firefighters in Evia are battling flames for the 7th day, as one after the other villages and settlements of the island are surrounded by flames.

The villages of Ellinika, Gouves, Artemisio, Kastri, Pefki, Monokarya, Kamatriades, and Galatsades have been under fire since Sunday morning, while during the night, residents, volunteers and firefighters in Artemisio and Gousan from the houses of the settlements.

Surrounding houses have been burned, but the cores of the villages remain intact, with the inhabitants fighting a titanic battle “alone” – as they typically complain – abandoned by the state.

The numerous fires were raging overnight throughout the burned areas and in most cases these were cause for alarm.

In.gr and the journalist, Alexandra Fotaki, were in Northern Evia on Sunday morning and on the Gouves – Artemisio – Pefki fiery front where she recorded shocking images.

The situation on the fiery fronts

Peripherally from Pefki, a few meters from the houses in Artemisio and Kastri, battles were fought when the flames approached the villages not once but many times during the night.

In Gouves the battle lasted all night when the flames threatened to burn the village. From yesterday at noon until this morning the alarm was sounded at least three times and the interventions were able to keep the flames away from the core of the village.

Agiovotano and Elliniko did not escape the nighttime torments. The resurgent flames, without strong winds, created new fronts, new threats, new night operations.

In Geraki and Galatsona, there was an all-night battle with the flames as they engulfed the villages and there was a risk of volunteers and firefighters becoming trapped. They did, however, manage to keep the flames away from the houses.

The effort continues on Monday morning in Monokarya, to prevent the fire from reaching Istiaia. From the time the aerial means stopped, last night, it was threatened many times but endured with the help of the terrain and the fire zones that had been created along the stream.

The next big wager

Kamatriades and Galatsades are the two villages that seem to be among the priorities of the fire fighting forces and aircraft operating since this morning.

According to the officers of the Fire Brigade who are in North Evia, “if the fire passes through there, it will be found in a solid forest which is difficult to extinguish and will eventually reach to Ilia and Edipsos”. In fact, they note that “the creation of perimeters around villages and even makeshift fire zones in recent hours has largely prevented the spread of damage within residential areas.”

So on Sunday night, as fires raged around residential areas, diggers and earthmoving machines worked to create zones and contain fire fronts.

In the southern part, the great effort continues so that the fire front does not cross over Mount Kandili.

Suffocating atmosphere

The concern of the staff of the Fire Brigade located in North Evia is whether, due to the smoke, they will be able to fly fire fighting aircraft and helicopters this morning to provide solutions to critical points so that the front of the fire does not spread further.

The whole area is filled with dense smoke creating a suffocating atmosphere. The smoke has “travelled” dozens of kilometers west, having completely covered East Fthiotida and Lamia since yesterday, reaching as far as Velouchi. This morning in Lamia the visibility did not exceed 300 meters.

Finally, the major breakdowns in the PPC network have created additional problems despite the fact that dozens of crews from various parts of the country have started repairing the damage from day one. Most areas of North Evia spent the night without electricity.

At the same time, there is a problem in the supply of fuel to the area as it is not possible to move fuel tankers. Any stocks that the gas stations had have already run out and now the movement of cars is becoming problematic.

“They left us at the mercy of fire – Nothing is left of our home”

A resident of Agia Anna described the difficult moments she went through during the catastrophic fire in Evia on Mega channel.

Mrs. Maria Stamelou referred to the fiery nightmare she and her family lived through, with the fire completely burning down her summer house.

“I am in a state of confusion, everything happened overnight. My child and my mother were there. They left. The people who had boats and the Coast Guard helped. We feel very disappointed, we were abandoned at the mercy of fire. We got an evacuation order and we all went to the beach, waiting for the boats to take us to Mantoudi. People were left behind, and those who stayed saved their homes. Our house burned down completely. We went yesterday, and there is nothing left of our house. For us it was our holiday home. We took our jewelry and family photos and nothing else. I was thinking that my house was on fire, and what I had to take. In my village there was neither an airplane nor ground forces. Everything the people did on their own. The calamity happened very quickly “, Mrs. Stamelou described.

“A lot of people went down to the beach and we waited for boats to come and pick us up. There is great frustration. We have been hearing for so long about individual responsibility for the coronavirus. We obeyed, we followed the measures, we were vaccinated. Now shouldn’t the government have shown responsibility, and not let us shoulder the burden again? They had to send us planes, we can not explain why they did not send us planes. They said ten aircraft were operating, and there was only one Chinook,” she continued.

“Things are very difficult for the region. The area needs to be rehabilitated and supported. There is no object of work for the people there. The beekeepers, resin collectors, tourism companies are all done for. And we have the fear of floods. About 10-15 houses in our village must have burned down, and the olive groves, everything… there is nothing,” concluded Ms. Stamelou.