Wildfires continued to ravage the Greek island of Chios for a second consecutive day, prompting mass evacuations and the declaration of a state of emergency as authorities scramble to contain multiple active fire fronts amid strong winds.
As of Monday, at least 16 settlements have been evacuated across the eastern and northern parts of the island, including Kofinas, Agia Anna, Agios Makarios Vrontadon, Agios Markos, and Agiasmata.
Greece’s 112 emergency alert system has issued repeated evacuation warnings, with nine additional areas urged to evacuate on Monday alone.
Greek government spokesman Pavlos Marinakis said the situation “remains critical,” noting that several fires are burning dangerously close to small hamlets.
He confirmed that an extra 171 firefighters have been deployed to support the 190 already on the ground, alongside 13 helicopters and four water-dropping aircraft working to protect homes and the island’s prized mastiha-producing regions.
The fires, which began on Sunday in at least five different locations, have been fanned by strong winds, severely hampering firefighting efforts. A specialist arson investigation unit has been sent to Chios to determine the cause.
Satellite images show the smoke plume has travelled nearly 400 kilometres south to Crete, underlining the scale of the blaze.
Wildfires are a regular danger during Greece’s hot, dry summers, but officials warn that climate change is intensifying their frequency and severity. In 2018, over 100 people died in the coastal town of Mati, some drowning as they tried to escape the flames by sea.
Source: AP News
