With the continuous creation of fire zones, with dozens of fire engines scattered over almost the entire southern part of Prefecture of Evroswith an operational plan that needs to be readjusted at any moment as the fire-meteorological conditions change suddenly, the Fire Department for the fourth day engages in an exhausting and unequal fight to extinguish the changeable fire that leaves a strong imprint in its wake.

The particularity of the fire and the difficulty of extinguishing it

“We had the misfortune of it manifesting itself on the August melties. Intense dry air, high temperatures, intense drought that requires large amounts of water in order to extinguish the fuel in the path of the fire, are characteristics that intensify the spread and intensity of the fire, making it difficult in many cases or making it prohibitive use of aerial means’.

The head forester of Alexandroupolis, Giorgos Pistolas, outlines in APE-MPE the special characteristics of the fire, mainly its aggressiveness and constant changes of direction, which are reinforced by the strong winds.

The first front appeared in Melia in the early hours of Saturday, but after traveling a long distance in a short time, it met and joined in Aisymi with the forest fire of Dadia that occurred on Monday morning. “So we are talking about a single front of the fire with many “tongues” whose movement is usually southwest. “Language” means that there is not one main axis of fire, but there are side axes which at their top have the specific direction, moving a little west and quite south down. They united and ended up above the hospital of Alexandroupolis. The head is extinguished but the tail and fins, the side sections of the fire are spreading. The tail to the rear, the laterals usually move left and right, for us now they go west. These are the fixed characteristics of the fires that unite. Also due to the air, too many spots are created. Spots are the spots that burn when a fire is thrown at a distance of 200-400 meters, creating a new focus and then a new fire front. He explains that “for our own area, while we had a fire that was at the height of Melia and further south creating parallel right-left fires, from one point onwards due to the intensity of the wind, they multiply in extent and intensity with a geometric progression. This is the problem that the union of the two fires creates for us. It starts and creates a very large burnt area in which the fire develops».

The burning fronts in the Municipality of Alexandroupoli

The settlements of Plaka, the former settlement of Amphithea, Pylaia-Koila, Dikella, Mesimvria are the fronts of the fourth day. The largest front is within the pine forest of Cirki, it is in progress and moving either south or west towards Sycorrachis. In Kirki, the fire arose from the sides of the main fire coming from Dadia and Aisymi, and the settlement is under immediate threat.

With a new message from 112, citizens in the areas of Makri, Dikella, Agia Paraskevi and Mesimvria are asked to move to Alexandroupoli.

Earlier dial 112 for the residents of Mesti, Dikella, Sykorrachis, Plaka, Mesimvria, Atarni, Avra, Komarou and Perama to evacuate to Komotini.

A little before 20:30 in the evening a new message was sent by 112 to evacuate the Leptokarya area.

Residents must move to Sappes.

Activation 1️⃣1️⃣2️⃣

📍 #Alexandroupoli

🆘 If you are in the #Leptokarya area, move away towards #Sappés

🔥 Forest fire in your area

‼️ Follow the instructions of the authorities

Temporary stoppage of traffic on Egnatia Odos from the height of the Eastern junction of Komotini Rhodopi to the height of the Industrial Area (BI.PE) junction of Alexandroupoli, the traffic police proceeded in both streamsaccording to a statement from the general regional police directorate of Eastern Macedonia and Thrace.

The interruption is due to the fires raging in the area.

The main fronts of the fire

On the fiery fronts of the settlements of Plaka, the former settlement of Amphithea and on a very large front within the pine forest of Circe which is ongoing and moves either south or west towards Sykorrachis, the uneven battle continues today, due to the special fire-meteorological conditions, of the fire brigades to extinguish the fire that has been burning in Evros since Saturday morning.

According to the data of the Fire Brigade they are working 214 firefighters with 11 groups of infantry departments and 59 vehicles, forces of the Hellenic Army, volunteer firefighters as well as water tankers and project machinery of the E.S. and of the OTA. From the air, four firefighting aircraft and three firefighting helicopters are assisting in the extinguishing effort.

During the night the hospital was evacuated of Alexandroupolias the flames they reached the enclosure. Sixty-nine of them hospital patients have been transferred to passenger – ferry ship “Adamantios Korais” who takes them to Kavala, with the rest having already been transferred to other hospitals.

According to information, they did 115 transports with 30 EKAV ambulances from Alexandroupolis, Komotini, Kavala, Xanthi, Didymoteicho, Thessaloniki and three military under the orders of the president of EKAV, Nikos Papaefstathiou.

For business they arrived in Alexandroupolis and two units of the Special Disaster Department of EKAB and a mobile coordination center.

Of the 115 patients, 12 were neonates and 8 ICU patients. About 50 ambulatory patients were transported by buses.

Patients were served in the hospitals of Komotini and Xanthi and the newborns in Kavala.

They coordinated the operation the Deputy Minister of Health Marios Themistokleous and the president of EKAV Nikos Papaevstathiou.

Alexandroupoli

Nursing homes were evacuated

About 130 elderly people moved away from the Joakimio nursing home and Stavride ecclesiastical institution of chronic sufferers of the I. Metropolis of Alexandroupolis, with the assistance of the municipal authority of Alexandroupoli.

The mayor Yiannis Zamboukis spoke to APE-MPE about the operation of transporting the elderly, noting that protecting them gave him the greatest satisfaction of his life.

“We asked for the assistance of KTEL Alexandroupolis, which provided buses for the transport to a safe place of the guests of the two structures of the Metropolis of Alexandroupoli. Escorted by police and with the help of the staff called by the priests, they were evacuated in two groups as the fire had approached the two buildings. Unfortunately, it was not possible to move about 70 elderly people who are bedridden for their safety, competent fire brigades went to the scene”.

Speaking to SKAI, the deputy mayor of Alexandroupolis Ilias Gasteridis said: “Ashes are falling from the sky, it’s like snowing.”

During the night dAn evacuation order was sent to Alexandroupoli via 112 to the inhabitants of the settlements Plate, Mattock, Long, New Chile, Olive grove, Fir, Pine and Saint George.

Meanwhile, in the fire burning in her forest Nanny yesterday a dead man was found, who is probably a migrant. The unfortunate man was found by an employee of the Forestry Department of Soufli, at a point where the fire that broke out at noon yesterday in the National Park of Dadia – Lefkimi – Soufli had passed.

The young man died of asphyxiation.

The front of the Rhodopes

The fire situation has improved since the morning that broke out yesterday at noon in a forest area in the area of ​​Mischos and in Ano Drosini in Rodopi.

“Today things are a bit more optimistic, there is a relative control of the fires, despite the strong winds that continue to blow in the area,” Rodopis deputy governor, Nikos Tsalikidis, told APE-MPE.

He noted, however, that “Yesterday will remain etched in our mindsafter more than 10 houses were burned in Sosti, Polyanthos and Linos, crops were destroyed, animals were burned and there were injuries.”