Almost 15,000 acres of land were reduced to ashes in Rethymnon. Agricultural crops, olive groves, livestock and beehives have been affected
Hard battle to extinguish the fiery fronts in Kallithea Achaia and in Orne in the municipality of Agios Vasilios in Rethimno the fire brigade continues to give.
According to the latest information, the picture presented by the two fires is quite improved, however, especially in Rethymno where the fire has been burning since yesterday, the devastation is incalculable.
In fact, in the last 24 hours, according to information from the fire brigade, 71 forest fires broke out.
Rethymnon: Almost 15,000 acres of land reduced to ashes – Continuous flare-ups
As reported by his correspondent from Crete, Marios Dionellis the fire department managed to control the fire fronts which raged in Shakturia and Agios Georgios in South Rethymnon. The winds in the area however remain strong throughout the day and flare-ups are frequent in many different places.
They are on alert 30 fire engines and 140 firefighters from the services of almost all of Crete. The fact that the fire is maintained in places with low vegetation makes the officials optimistic as well as the residents of the area who have been affected mainly in terms of their agricultural crops, olive groves, livestock and beehives that the flames consumed. Two firefighting helicopters continue to drop as long as the daylight lasts, assisting the work of the ground forces.
In Rodakino, where the fire brigade is on the frontline, as of yesterday afternoon, the fire has been brought under complete control with firefighters and volunteers monitoring and intervening whenever there is a flare-up. 7 vehicles with 40 firefighters are operating in the area.
In the meantime, the scientists of the National Observatory of Athens S. Dafis, G. Kyros and K. Lagouvardos with their article on the official website of the service, published a high resolution satellite image which reveals as they say: “…the magnitude of the destruction caused by the forest fire in South Rethymnon. Almost 15,000 acres of land were reduced to ashes in less than 24 hours, with the European satellite measurement taking place at 12:10 noon on Saturday 16/7, while there were still active foci (yellow and orange spots)’. It is, as they say, “a major ecological and economic disaster caused by the forest fire in South Rethymnon that started at noon on Friday, July 15, 2022, near Krya Vrysi. Gusty northerly winds continuing to blow on the afternoon of Saturday 16/7 are making it difficult for the fire services as there are constant flare-ups. The map below shows the thermal anomalies on the ground as recorded by satellites on the evening of Friday 7/15 and Saturday 7/16. Satellite measurements show that the active fronts on Saturday afternoon have significantly reduced in extent, but the risk of flare-ups remains high due to strong winds. An assessment of the burnt area will be carried out on Saturday night using higher resolution satellite data.
Regarding the effects of the great fire in Rethymno, MEP Manolis Kefalogiannis asks the European Commission to contribution of community funds for the restoration of the damages caused by the great fire in Rethymnon. As he reports: “In the last few days, hundreds of people have been displaced from their homes in Rethymno in Crete, the villages of Orne, Krya Vrysi, Saktouria, Agios Georgios, Agios Pavlos and Melampes have been evacuated as fires sweep thousands of acres of agricultural land mainly with olive trees , while thousands of sheep and bees have been cremated. For this reason, he asks the European Commission, how it can support Crete in the restoration of the environmental and socio-economic damages caused by the fires and what additional forms of assistance could be provided to compensate the damages suffered by farmers and breeders in Crete”.
In Melampes, at the time of the rekindling of the fire, SYRIZA MP Andreas Xanthos was present and was informed by the Mayor of Agios Vassiliou Yiannis Tatarakis. Mr. Xanthos in his relevant report states: “Anxiety for the control of the devastating fire, respect for the efforts of the firefighters, a universal demand for immediate “healing of the wounds” and support for the people who have suffered enormous damage to their properties. Above all, constant readiness, reorganization and serious strengthening of the Fire and Civil Protection. Because the climate crisis is “showing its teeth” to us.
Patras: The picture of the fire in the wider area of Kallithea is much better
Much better is the image presented by the fire in the wider area, Kallithea, Patras, according to the fire department, although as noted, the extent of the fire is large.
However, strong ground and air forces are still operating in the area, while according to the fire brigade, the four planes and six helicopters, one of which is coordinating, will carry out water drops until the last light of day.
It should be noted that a large part of the fire front, which started from Kallithea in Patras, has passed to the neighboring municipality of Erymanthos and as reported to the Athens-Macedonian News Agency, the mayor of Erymanthos, Theodoros Baris, “the fire is burning a forest area in a mountainous and inaccessible area area of Platanovrisi”.
At the same time, the mayor said that “it is positive that the intensity of the winds has decreased”, adding that “so far there have been no reports of damage to houses”.
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