Zakynthos close to 4 thousand acres burnt... Fire still out of control.

photo credit:- Vasilis Korianitis

Night has fallen and the aerial help is no longer on the island of Zakynthos. The ERT news Zakynthos journalist, Andreas Papadimitriou reported on the ERTNEWS news bulletin at 20.00 the latest developments from the fire front that is burning the mountain region of our island. According to his response, the situation remains extremely difficult, as the strong winds are constantly changing direction, making it impossible to predict the course of the fire.

Agalas is already counting houses and businesses that have burnt, with the flames having invaded the village. At the moment, a large front is also raging in mountain area of Lithakia, while the total extent of the fire in Zakynthos reaches 20 kilometers, from Keri to Machairado. Despite the reinforcement of ground forces from Patras, the morphology of the terrain and the lack of aerial means – as only one helicopter was operating before sunset, making the fire difficult to extinguish.

photo credit Giorgos Meintanis

Evacuations in Agalas and Keri took place early in the morning, while visitors were also removed from tourist units. 150 tourists from Keri and another 50 from Agala. All have been moved to other hotel premises and are safe. Residents are urged to strictly follow the instructions of the emergency services and the 112 emergency messages, as the situation can change within minutes.

The power outage in many areas creates additional obstacles, as the water pumps for water extraction can not be operated, making conditions for firefighting and for water tank vehicles difficult. At the same time, the atmosphere remains stifling, although in Lithakia the wind is currently blowing in a direction that reduces the smoke in the area.

Andreas Papadimitriou also conveyed the anguish of the residents, who remain on standby, while volunteers have been assisting since the morning, offering water, food and assistance to the fire crews. The next few hours are considered critical, with the authorities hoping for a weakening of the winds so that more drops can be made and the destruction to be limited.

According to the head of the Civil Protection of the Region, Maria Mouzaki, approximately 15 thousand acres of virgin forest and agricultural crops have been burnt so far. In an interview on the National t.v station Open, she mentioned that we are in for an extremely difficult night. 
At the moment it seems that the winds have dropped, lets hope that our fire services who are battling the fire now on the ground only have luck on their side and it is extinguished. 
Source:- zantetimes.gr. ​