The smoke from the large fires affecting Alexandroupoli, Boeotia and Evia for the last few days has reached many areas of Greece. The images circulating on the internet show how far widespread the smoke is.
See images from Ithaca, Kefalonia and Lefkada:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IXReZ5ljf2E
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AN64oAj1b2Q
The smoke has covered almost half of Greece.
In an image of the European satellite METEOSAT-11 processed by the METEO unit of the National Observatory of Athens, the severity and extent of the active forest fires in our country are captured until shortly before 10 am on Tuesday.
In the image, you can see the thick smoke that has covered the sky of several regions of our country.
More specifically, the transport of smoke over the Northern and Central Aegean from the forest fires in Evros and Rhodope and the fire over Boeotia can be seen.
The smoke from the fire in the Evros area reached about 950 kilometres to the southwest, covering an area equal to about 110,000 square kilometres.
The sky in Kavala
The sky in Samothrace
#Αλεξανδρουπολη #φωτιά Μαύρισε ο ουρανός και στη Σαμοθράκη pic.twitter.com/mWF8PANKu1
— Elena Mosxou (@ElenaMosxou) August 21, 2023
Smoke in Kalamata
The sky in Halkidiki
The sky in Lemnos
Watch the video: Fires: 110,000 sq. Kilometres of smoke from the fires cover - Images from all over Greece.
Meanwhile, on Tuesday, fire Brigade spokesperson Yiannis Artopios said that 18 bodies were found near a hut in the broader region of Avantas in the Alexandroupolis wildfire following a Fire Brigade on-the-spot check.
"Given that we have no report on missing residents, the possibility the bodies belong to individuals that illegally entered the country is being examined", Artopios said.
"It is reminded that emergency number 112 sent messages on Monday for the evacuation of the area. The messages were also sent to foreign network mobile phones in the region. The inspections across the region where the fire broke out and is currently in progress continue," Artopios concluded.
The battle with the blaze continues in Evros (Alexandroupolis) region for a fourth consecutive day. Currently, there is a large front in the forest of Kirki, in Plaka, and in the former settlement of Amfithea.
A total of 40 individuals were rescued by two Coast Guard vessels and four private boats in the area of Aghia Paraskevi and Dikella of Alexandroupolis due to the wildfire. According to the Fire Brigade, the rescued are being transferred to the port of Alexandroupolis.
According to the Fire Brigade, 59 fire engines with a 214-member crew, 11 teams of firefighters on foot, volunteers, police forces, municipal water trucks assisted by four firefighting aircraft, and three water-dropping helicopters are operating in the area.
Meanwhile, another nine villages are being evacuated in the area of Alexandroupolis due to the wildfire raging in the area. The residents of the villages Mesimvria, Atarni, Avra, Komaros, Perama, Mesti, Dikella, Sykorrachi and Plaka were informed by 112 emergency number message to evacuate with directions from the city of Komotini.
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