A new wildfire broke out on Thursday afternoon in northern Greece, in the tourist region of Halkidiki, leading to the evacuation of hundreds of tourists and the deployment of aerial resources that managed to control the situation by nightfall.
More than 200 firefighters and 57 vehicles, supported by nine aircraft and seven helicopters, were mobilized throughout the day to fight the fire in a wooded area about 90 kilometers southeast of Thessaloniki, Greece’s second-largest city, the fire department reported on the social network X.
The fire was temporarily “out of control,” according to local media, but began to yield to the resources at nightfall, the director of Civil Protection for the Central Macedonia region, Charalampos Stergiadis, told public broadcaster ERT.
Two firefighters were injured and taken to the hospital, according to Greek emergency services. Despite improvements, resources remained on standby in the area to prevent rekindling.
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During Thursday afternoon, three Civil Protection evacuation orders, regarding the areas of Siviri and Fourka, were sent to residents and visitors of this coastal region, which is popular among tourists. Hundreds of tourists on the beaches of Siviri and Fourka were evacuated as a precaution, as the fire was approaching “dangerously close to the coast,” according to firefighters.
The fire broke out in an area of low vegetation, at a pole of the Greek electricity grid operator (DEDDIE), about half a kilometer from Kassandreia, when tree branches struck cables due to strong winds, causing a short circuit, ERT further reported.
The electricity and water supply was interrupted in the region. Electricity and water companies were working to restore service overnight, according to local media. The fire risk remains extremely high for today, with winds up to 100 kilometers per hour (km/h) predicted.
Ten days ago, northwest of the Greek capital, near a beach resort, a fire destroyed more than 11,000 hectares of pine forest, brush, and agricultural land. Due to wind gusts reaching 130 km/h, that fire was only brought under control after five days.
