Vasilis Vathrakoyannis, Director of Strategic Planning and Communications for the Greek Fire Service, has provided an update on the current status of wildfires burning across the country. He announced that firefighting forces will be reinforced on all active fronts in the coming hours. He also made special reference to Rethymno, stating: “At the fires in Krya Vrisi and Asomatos in Rethymno, 296 firefighters are deployed alongside 15 forest commando units and 66 vehicles. In Rethymno, 16 emergency alerts had to be issued via 112 to ensure the safe and timely evacuation of residents.”
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Greek Fire Service on wildfires: “Wind speeds exceeded 100 kilometers per hour”
Vasilis Vathrakoyannis described it as an extremely difficult day for the fire service, paying tribute to three firefighters who lost their lives and extending his condolences to their families and loved ones. According to him, firefighters have been battling on multiple fronts around the clock on both July 29 and today, while powerful winds and dense smoke are creating zero-visibility conditions and severe turbulence, making aerial water drops virtually impossible in Paros and Crete. “In several cases, wind speeds exceeded 100 kilometers per hour,” he emphasized.
He further reported that all Fire Service units have been placed and remain on full alert, as have all Civil Protection forces. He added that an extremely high wildfire risk is forecast for most regions of the country tomorrow, with even more challenging conditions expected in the days ahead.
