Fire in Evros: Battle on four fronts

Weaker but always regulators of the intensity, course and speed of spread of the fire, the winds today in Evros are expected to determine for another day, according to the forestry services, the degree of difficulty and the effectiveness of the extinguishing operations in the four remaining fronts of the Prefecture.

With the ground firefighting forces undiminished, seven aerial vehicles – and the extinguishing operational plan prioritizing human life, property and the forest -, attempts have been made since the morning to tame and extinguish the fire fronts of Dadia, Melia, Leptokaria and of Sycorrach.

Following the course of the front that is still burning in Dadia for the third day, the forest services of the prefecture, in connection with the northeast winds that blow in the area driving the fire threat southwest and as soon as it meets a gully creating fronts with geometric progression, they estimate that if unless the fire of Dadia, which is further north, ends, southern Evros will not calm down, as they typically say to the Athens Agency.

They cite as an illustrative example the settlement of Melia, where – while the fire that broke out there the previous Saturday has been extinguished – it is threatened again by the fire that descends from Dadia and has already approached it.

Also, the settlements of ‘Avanda, Nipsa and Dorikos were threatened in the previous days by both the fire of Melia and Dadia, with the latter again threatening ‘Avanda if it moves south-west due to the north-east winds.

The ground forces operating today are 220 firefighters with 59 vehicles, 11 infantry teams, two firefighting aircraft and five firefighting helicopters.

Source: RES-MPE