The massive wildfire that erupted on Chios last Sunday at noon, consuming approximately 2,500 hectares of forest, low vegetation, and arable land, has finally been extinguished. A notable positive in the grim assessment is the comparatively minor damage sustained by the island’s invaluable mastic cultivation.
Since dawn today, aerial firefighting assets have been conducting coordinated water drops, focusing on extinguishing the last remaining small fires and eliminating any potential for resurgence.
The Mayor of Chios Municipality, Yannis Malafis, stressed on Tuesday evening that “ we continue to battle the wildfire. We cannot talk about a lull in the front. Things are still difficult.”
As of Tuesday, efforts were focused on the area from Agios Georgios to Vessa-Lithi. The goal, with the support of strong ground forces as well as aircraft and helicopters, was to contain the outbreaks and bring the fires under control. So far, it has burned more than 65,000 acres.
The largest front was in the Agios Georgios area of Kampi, while firefighting forces were also operating in the Fa section toward Avgonima and responding to rekindled outbreaks in the Vessa-Lithi area.
In Lithi, the situation was described as dramatic earlier in the day by community president Nektarios Kavakakis, who said the fire reached the coastal settlement, forcing tourists to evacuate a hotel in the area. “ There is also damage in Lithi to mastic crops, while two detached houses above the beach burned,” he noted.
2,500 hectares burned in the Chios wildfire
The Copernicus satellite system has released imagery of the wildfire raging across central and eastern Chios for the third day, showing a burned area of approximately 2,000 to 2,500 hectares (20 to 25 square kilometers). A full assessment will be possible once the fire is fully brought under control.
The island of Chios has been declared to be in a state of emergency, as firefighting efforts continue. A total of 444 firefighters are operating in the field with the island’s entire firefighting force, reinforced by additional crews from Athens, Thessaloniki, Kavala, and Lesvos.
Fire brigade spokesperson Vassilis Vathrakogiannis said on Tuesday that the situation had significantly improved and expressed optimism that the fires could be brought under control by Wednesday. Firefighters have been focusing on flare-ups in central and southern Chios, he noted.
The firefighting effort includes 85 vehicles and 30 volunteers. Supporting them are two airtankers and six helicopters, while water trucks and heavy machinery from the Hellenic Army and local authorities are also contributing to the response.
Giorgos Toumbos, the president of the Chios Mastiha Growers Association, told Kathimerini that some fire fronts have weakened, but there are still flare-ups. So far, the fires appear to have resulted in minimal damage to the island’s mastic-producing areas, known for their cultivation of mastic trees, which yield the region’s prized natural resin.
A unit from the Arson Crimes Directorate (DAEE) has also been deployed to the island due to suspicions of arson after five forest fires broke out within a few hours on Sunday.
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