It was another nightmarish night for the wider area of Soufli in Evros since the fire in the forest of Dadia is still burning uncontrollably in various directions. The fire has been burning for the 14th day, and late on Thursday afternoon, a warning message of 112 was sent to the residents of Soufli to remain on alert due to the ongoing forest fire.
⚠️ Ενεργοποίηση 1️⃣1️⃣2️⃣
📌 #Σουφλί
🆘 Δασική πυρκαγιά 🔥στην περιοχή σας
❗ Παραμείνετε σε ετοιμότητα
‼️ Ακολουθείτε τις οδηγίες των Αρχών
ℹ️ https://t.co/kexUnlnGMV@pyrosvestiki@hellenicpolice
— 112 Greece (@112Greece) August 31, 2023
The flames crossed the provincial road from Giannouli to Sidiro and towards the side of Protokklisi village. The strongest front in intensity is located north towards Protoklisi and east towards Soufli.
Around the villages and Soufli, fire protection zones are constantly being created by residents and volunteers, with machines from the municipality of Soufli, the Region and their own.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IRbUukemGBE&ab_channel=ProtoThema
Watch videos:
In a message on Facebook, the municipality of Soufli called on citizens to make rational use of water to support the effort to extinguish the fire.
According to the Fire Department, 582 firefighters with 129 vehicles and 16 pedestrian units are operating - mainly between the areas of Soufli, Kornofolia, Dadia, Kotronia, Sidiro and Giannouli, while ten firefighting aircraft and seven helicopters operated from the air in rotation during the day.
In the meantime, 68 fires are being tackled throughout the territory. At the same time, 32 new forest fires occurred in the last twenty-four hours, most of which were dealt with immediately, in their initial stage, as reported by the fire department.
Support from forces of nine foreign countries
In addition, the European Civil Protection Mechanism, with forces from France, Spain, Cyprus, Romania, Czech Republic, Bulgaria, Slovakia, Albania and Serbia, assists in dealing with the fires.
Also, assistance is provided by a large number of volunteer firefighters, forces that have been made available by the General Staff of National Defense and the Greek Police, as well as water tankers and machinery from the Regions.
The local investigative offices and units of the Arson Crimes Directorate (D.A.E.E.) are investigating the causes of the fires.
READ MORE: PM Mitsotakis: The climate crisis is dangerous and threatening for all.
