Greece’s government has declared a state of emergency on Chios island as wildfires rage for a second day.
Three fires began on Sunday in the Kofinas, Agia Anna, and Agios Makarios Vrontadon areas, with two more on Monday in Agios Markos and Agiasmata. Wind has further boosted these wildfires, leading to evacuations, heavily damaging forests, and causing power outages.
“The situation since yesterday on the island is quite difficult because we constantly have new fronts and resurgences and the climatic conditions are not favourable,” said Minister of Climate Crisis and Civil Protection Ioannis Kefalogiannis in Chios.
According to Kefalogiannis, 170 additional firefighters will be sent to Chios. Greece’s Hellenic Fire Service said on Sunday that 100 firefighters were already operating in the affected areas, with a further 90 arriving from Piraeus and Thessaloniki.
The Directorate for Combating Arson Crimes will also investigate the fires’ causes alongside Chios State Security, the Hellenic Fire Service said.
Residents from 17 areas in Chios have been evacuated. Power outages have been reported in Vrontados in eastern Chios after the fires damaged the electrical grid, with Hellenic Electricity Distribution Network Operator teams sent from the nearby island of Lesbos to conduct repairs.
The Aegean Islands, which includes Chios, Lesbos, and Crete, are under a moderate high temperature warning. Daily highs above 30º Celsius are expected on Chios until Sunday.
Across Greece, the Hellenic Fire Service said 48 forest fires began between 6 pm Sunday and 6 pm Monday, local time. Of these, 38 were extinguished immediately.
Major wildfires also broke out in August 2012 in Chios, damaging around 7,000 hectares of forest and agricultural land and causing the evacuation of nine villages.
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