Six municipalities of Rhodes have been declared in a state of emergency by the decision of the Minister of Civil Protection, Vassilis Papageorgiou, due to the fire affecting the island. These are the Municipal Units of Rhodes, Kallithea, Ialyssos, Petaloudon, Afantos, and Archangelos, with a decision issued yesterday.
Last week, with the outbreak of the fire, the Municipal Units of Attaviros, Kamirou, and Lindos were declared in a state of emergency, and last Sunday the Municipal Unit of South Rhodes. With the new decisions, the whole island of Rhodes has been declared a state of emergency.
It is recalled that in Rhodes, the situation for yet another night, was difficult, with all the forces of Civil Protection, along with volunteers and residents, to make unabated efforts, under adverse conditions, to stop the fire fronts.
The active fronts, according to the Fire Brigade, are located in the south and southeastern part, namely focused in the area of Malona, Vatiu, and the area of Gennadi. With the first light of the day began air drops by aircraft and helicopters which are assisting in the work of extinguishing along with ground forces.
Meanwhile, Corfu is still plagued by two active fronts, in inaccessible areas, as firefighters and volunteers are currently battling the flames. At the same time, the morning and aerial means operate in order to effectively deal with the fire, as there is a fear of a major resurgence with the change of weather in the afternoon. According to forecasts are expected to blow northwest winds in the area.
After the difficult hours experienced by the residents in Lutses, Siki, and Imerolia, today all the elderly who had been evacuated are returning to their homes. The younger residents stayed in the settlements and assisted the firefighters. The fire in NE Corfu created a big wave of volunteerism across the island. Conscientious citizens of all ages and with whatever means available to everyone, arrived yesterday at the offending points to help, while in all villages created groups of citizens to patrol day and night in their area. The municipal authority of North Corfu categorically points out that the fire is due to arson.
