The titanic effort by air and ground firefighters to extinguish a major fire that broke out Wednesday afternoon on Falakro Mountain in Drama while it is so far burning only grassland.

The fire, which spread quickly due to strong winds, was started by two lightning bolts that struck the Snowhole area in two different places, creating two fire fronts which, as the fire spread, merged into a particularly large fire front.

The area in which the fire occurred is particularly difficult and the approach of the fire brigade’s hiking teams is difficult and only possible with four-wheel drive trucks or helicopters. The big problem remains the strong wind in the area, because the height in Falakro is high, so the fire does not have a specific direction.

Since Wednesday afternoon, continuous water drops from the air have been made in order to contain the fire front. In the area, members of the EMODE (Special Unit of Forestry Operations) are operating, who arrived in Drama from Alexandroupolis and Xanthi, while this morning fifty people arrived from Athens.

The fear of the local authorities and firefighting agencies is that the fire could spread out of control and endanger forest areas and residential areas.

The announcement of the municipality of Drama

In a post on social media, the municipality of Drama informs citizens about the fire in Falakro, which has been burning since Wednesday, July 17.

The post mentions the following: “Because in the last few days we are all concerned about the developments with the fire in Falakro, the Municipality of Drama informs you that every possible effort is being made to avert the danger. On Sunday 21 July, from 6.30 in the morning, the mayor of Drama George Papadopoulos along with the deputy mayor of Civil Protection, Christos Mavridis and the deputy mayor of Tourism, Yannis Georgiadis were at the front of the fire along with all the forces of the Municipality. At the initiative of the mayor, vehicles were commandeered for the needs, JCB and Grader. In consultation with the regional governor of AMTH and the vice-regional governor of Drama and with the tireless and continuous help of the Fire Service of Drama, they are operating in the area. The weather conditions and the fire front are unfavourable and the danger is great.

We will inform you with further announcements during the day. As in all previous days, the Mayor and the Municipality’s services are on full alert.”