The Minister of Climate Crisis and Civil Protection, Christos Stylianidis, spoke about a difficult fire, which despite the adverse conditions, thanks to the coordination of all involved bodies, was reduced to 6-7 hours during briefing on yesterday's fire in Voula.
“We faced a very difficult fire due to the difficult weather conditions and the terrain of the area. “Despite the adverse conditions, all those involved, both on the field and in the coordination, managed, thanks to the coordinated efforts of all the forces of the Civil Protection and the Fire Brigade, to reduce yesterday's very difficult fire within 6-7 hours,” he said. The minister added that although we are at the beginning of the summer, the summer is expected to be harsh.
“The summer will be tough, because all the meteorological forecasts show that in the Eastern Mediterranean region, which is considered a hotspot of the climate crisis, things will not be easy this summer either. “We are still at the beginning and the goal is to mitigate the effects of all the new phenomena that come from the climate crisis”, the minister pointed out. Mr. Stylianidis, regarding yesterday's big fire, stressed that the fact that within a few hours there were 3 different outbreaks should not be underestimated, a fact that, as he said, always makes it difficult to manage the fire. The minister noted that “a heroic effort was made” by the firefighters and firefighters but also by all those involved. “
” I was in the field and I saw what was happening. For my part, I would like to warmly thank those who fought to protect people and property. It was a heroic effort. I do not ignore the great contribution of the police, the army of the local government.
“Together, as a family, they fought a very difficult battle, from evacuations, from organized evacuation of the population to difficult conditions in the mountains,” he stressed, while regarding the coordination of air and ground forces, he added that this is a dynamic process that adjusts field-based design.
The Deputy Minister of Climate Crisis and Civil Protection, Evangelos Tournas, spoke about a difficult mission of the fire brigade and a difficult test for the whole mechanism, during the briefing. He stressed that despite the difficulties of the operation, civilian injuries or loss of human life were avoided, which, as he noted, “is very important, especially in an area next to a dense urban fabric and with significant road problems.” Mr. Tournas pointed out that the mechanism proved “that it can work in a coordinated manner, achieving important steps in a very difficult situation”, especially in the operation of organized evacuation of citizens from the area of Ano Voula. “There was a great mobilization of all those involved and a huge effort under the coordination of the Civil Protection and the Fire Brigade with the assistance of the local government, the volunteers of the fire and Civil Protection, the armed forces and ELAS. “With coordination and continuous cooperation with all stakeholders, we will continue to face the difficult summer that is still ahead of us”, Mr. Tournas underlined.
Regarding the fire that started yesterday, at noon, from Ano Glyfada, Mr. Tournas said that “it was a very difficult fire with 3 different outbreaks, which reached a suburban grove very close to houses, resulting in, despite the great effort, to cause limited material damage to some houses “. At the moment the fire is in remission, without active burns, while strong forces remain in the area. During the night, as Mr. Tournas pointed out, there was an effort to control small outbreaks and to avoid flares. “The forces have limited the fire, however strong forces are developed and continue to monitor. Aircraft and helicopters, some of & # 8217; they wet so that they completely suppress the phenomenon and the local governors will inform when the fire has been completely controlled and the risk of re-ignitions has been completely eliminated. However, the fire has been contained, the residents have returned to their homes, the fire brigade will continue their work for as long as necessary “, said Mr. Tournas, who handled the issues in the coordination coordination center.
As he noted, the fire started at noon in & # 8216; Ano Glyfada and due to the strong winds that blew in the area with gusts of up to 8 Beaufort, it quickly spread to the area of & # 8216; Ano Voula, while a little later quickly There were two more fires in the area of Vari and in the area of Kouvaras. It was very difficult to send the fire brigade and at the same time 61 forest fires broke out throughout the country, the deputy minister noted.
In more detail, as reported by Mr. Tournas, the Coordination Center was informed about the fire at 12.57. At 12 minutes, the first vehicles of the 8th Fire Station were on the spot. At 13.17 the assistance of air means was requested and at 20 minutes 2 CL-215, 2 CL-415, 1 Erickson helicopter and 1 coordination helicopter of the PS took off and were in the field. This was followed by waves of 2 Bell-214, 2 CHINOK, 1 additional SIKORSKY and 1 additional coordination helicopter of the fire brigade BK-117, 2 CL-215 and 3 Air-Tractors from Anchialos.
A total of 17 aircraft were available operating in successive waves for a constant presence and water drop in the fires and performed 36 flights and 66 flight hours. As Mr. Tournas noted, it was a “coordinated air operation that combined with the ground forces in an exceptional way and bore fruit very quickly”, despite the adverse, as he said, conditions that changed the front. “It was the second fire that broke out 3 kilometers from the initial one at Kremastos Lagos, which moved to the area of Vari and we were forced to withdraw our forces there and then to break our forces in the area of Kouvaras, which was also “important because it threatened an important forest,” he said.
“It was caused by the catastrophic fire”, Mr. Tournas underlined. Ano Voula and Vari, according to the design of the Fire Brigade, based on the data of the moment. As for the fire in Kouvaras, most of the forces have already left as it has now been extinguished and there is no danger for the area. lieutenant general, Alexios Rapanos.
