The Deputy Minister of Civil Protection, Nikos Hardalias, described the situation regarding the ongoing fires as extremely dangerous, in the emergency briefing he made on Friday afternoon.
As he noted, at the moment the fire brigade is trying to manage 56 active fires, with the most important ones raging in Attica, Northern Evia, Messinia, Eastern Mani, Tolofona, Fthiotida, Grevena and Ilia.
"Today we are facing a new front in Ancient Olympia, which is making every effort to be controlled," said N. Hardalias.
Regarding the fire that is raging in Attica, he noted that there are outbreaks on both sides of the National Road, which cause damage to businesses and homes. As Mr. Hardalias mentioned, every effort is being made to protect the critical infrastructure, while 13 messages have been sent for evacuation of settlements.
There are 450 firefighters operating in the area, with 40 groups of pedestrians and 150 vehicles. At the same time, he stated that in Attica a gradual strengthening of the westerly winds is expected, with gusts that will reach 6 Beaufort.
The front of the forest fire is also big in Northern Evia, as Mr. Hardalias noted. 240 firefighters are operating in Evia, with the air means being reinforced and the Russian beriev operating in Mantoudi. "The fire has taken on dangerous proportions and is moving in different directions in the steep terrain of the mountainous mass of Evia", stressed the Deputy Minister of Civil Protection.
At the same time, Mr. Hardalias referred to a significant burden on the smooth supply of electricity due to the heat and fires. Therefore, he informed that there will be periodic interruptions of electricity in order to ensure the smooth operation of the country's electrical system.
Describing the conditions as "extremely dangerous", Mr. Hardalias called on the citizens to cooperate and to faithfully follow all the instructions of the Authorities.