Hours of agony from the fire in Evros: The battle with the flames continues

Hours of agony in Evros. The fire threatens the core of the virgin forest, which is a wildlife refuge and home to the last black vulture colony in south-eastern Europe. Powerful firefighting forces are fighting the flames to contain the fire fronts and save the forest, but the conditions in the area are very difficult.

A government echelon headed by the Minister of Civil Protection Christos Stylianidis moves to Dadia Evros early in the morning, while the fire in the forest rages for the fourth day

An order for an organized preventive evacuation of the residents of Dadia was given shortly before midnight by 112 as the fire had approached the village of Dadia at a distance of 500-600 meters. The mayor of Soufli Panagiotis Kalakikos clarified that there is no immediate danger. Mostly elderly people were removed from the village.

According to the Fire Department, the fire is raging on multiple fronts, with the main one in Dadia.

For a few hours now, the winds have died down, which helps the efforts to delineate the front

A strong force of the fire department with 320 firefighters with 13 teams of walking departments and 68 vehicles is working on the fire. Support is provided by volunteer firefighters, volunteer Civil Protection groups, construction machinery and infantry units of the army, the Forestry Service and local water bodies. All the Fire Services of the Region of Eastern Macedonia and Thrace have been put on general alert.

“The most important thing for us is the safety of the residents, of the village, and all forces will be thrown there,” Evros deputy governor Dimitris Petrovich told APE-MPE.

Despite all the strong firefighting forces, ground and air, which are working non-stop, the continuing changes in the direction of the winds are creating flare-ups and increasing the number of fire fronts which by Saturday afternoon had risen to five, according to Mr. Petrovic, three major and two smaller ones, creating a stifling atmosphere. The fire has already surpassed the predators’ observatory and is approaching the buildings of the Protected Area Management Unit.

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