The fire brigade, residents and volunteers continue to fight the flames for the third day in fire which broke out on Sunday in a forest area in Rosena Xylokastro Corinthiawhere two people lost their lives.

According to information from the Fire Department, the fire front is ongoing with many scattered hot spots raging west on the border with Achaia towards Derveni – Eurostina as well as east towards Xanthohori and Loutro Korinthia, while the flames are moving towards the area of ​​Trikala.

478 firefighters with 16 forest commando teams and 154 vehicles, volunteers and volunteer Civil Protection teams, as well as water tankers and project machinery of the Peloponnese Region and the General Staff of National Defense, as well as forces of the Forestry Service and the Greek Police, are operating at the scene.

From the air, the aerial means increased to 22, namely 14 helicopters and 8 aircraft. In the morning, a message was sent from 112 to evacuate the village of Sofianas, while all the schools of the Municipality of Xylokastro – Eurostini in Corinth will remain closed this Tuesday.

Air in and out of the EU to fight the fire

Following Greece’s activation of the EU Civil Protection Mechanism yesterday afternoon, the EU Emergency Response Coordination Center immediately mobilized three firefighting aircraft from the rescEU mechanism. The aircraft, mobilized by Croatia and Italy, have already arrived in Greece.

The EU has also launched emergency satellite mapping through the Copernicus system to provide maps to local authorities. The European Commission continues to monitor the fire risk forecast and is ready to mobilize more help if needed, he said. The Commission notes that during the summer season of forest fires, Greece had requested assistance through the EU Civil Protection Mechanism twice, receiving then 5 firefighting planes, 2 helicopters, as well as 7 ground teams, 348 firefighters and 115 vehicles. Greece also hosted a pre-deployment program, in which firefighters and vehicles were deployed to Greece for several weeks.

Kikilias: “Tough battle on two fronts of the fire in Xylokastro – Appeal to citizens to stay away from the fires”

Speaking Tuesday morning on his radio the Minister of Civil Protection Vassilis Kikiliasstressed that today will also be a difficult day because of the flare-ups.

With the first light of the day, water drops from the air are carried out by the aerial means, while the ground forces remain strong in order to stop the fires and any rekindlings.

According to the Minister of Civil Protection, the fact that from 12 and after noon the winds are expected to strengthen with a visible risk of flare-ups is cause for concern.

According to Mr. Kikilia, the extent of the fire front reached 50 km, while the flames reached near the Patron-Corinth highway, traffic on which was interrupted last night. However, the road was reopened early Tuesday morning.

2 firefighters were injured

In addition, as it became known from the Fire Department, two firefighters were injured. One injured with slight breathing problems and the second injured in the eye from the water shot.

At the same time, successive messages via 112 have been sent to residents of settlements in the wider area due to the ongoing fire.

The fire that started on Sunday in the Rosena region has burned thousands of acres, houses and two men aged 35 and 40 have been burned.