A total of 52 wildfires were recorded throughout Greece in the last 24 hours with one major wildfire burning out of control across three fronts near the town of Amfissa, in the municipality of Delphi, central Greece, the Fire Brigade said on Monday evening.
Fanned by strong winds registering up to 6 in the Beaufort scale, the fire is reportedly burning its way through olive groves towards the all-female monastery of Profitis Ilias and also towards the coastal town of Itea. The monastery has been evacuated, yet firefighters are trying to prevent the blaze from reaching a forested region nearby.
High winds are making it extremely hard for the firefighters to contain the blaze, Delphi, Mayor Panagiotis Tagalis told Athens-Macedonian News Agency, adding that that firefighters aim to contain the fire ahead of nightfall.
An evacuation text message was sent by civil protection via the 112 European emergency alert number to residents in the northern part of Itea, Fokis region, who were told to head for Kirra. The village of Sernikaki was also evacuated through 112 alerts.
Some 50 firefighters with 15 fire engines and 3 ground teams are assisted by 5 water-dowsing aircraft, as well as municipal water tanks.
The Arachova-Amfissa road has been closed off at Chrisso in both directions.
