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Major Wildfire Threatens Forest on Greek Island of Kalymnos
🇬🇷 Greece /Disasters & Emergencies

Major Wildfire Threatens Forest on Greek Island of Kalymnos

From Ta Nea · () Greek

Translated from Greek, summarized and contextualized by DistantNews.

At a glance

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  • A large wildfire is raging in a forest area on the island of Kalymnos, Greece, since Wednesday night.
  • Firefighting forces are battling the blaze, with concerns it could reach a pine forest near the settlement of Agios Vasileios.
  • The mayor described the situation as critical, emphasizing that the fire's path toward the dense forest would significantly complicate containment efforts.

A significant wildfire erupted in a forest area on the Greek island of Kalymnos late Wednesday night, prompting an intense battle by firefighting crews. The blaze began near Thermopiges, causing considerable alarm among residents and authorities.

The primary concern is preventing the fire from spreading into a nearby pine forest that extends towards the settlement of Agios Vasileios. Such an advance would severely hamper firefighting operations due to the dense vegetation, which would fuel the flames.

Kalymnos Mayor Giannis Mastrokoukos described the situation as "particularly critical," stating that the outcome hinges on whether the fire enters the dense forest. He expressed deep concern about the fire's current trajectory, moving towards the upper side of Thermopiges, while the pine forest reaches Agios Vasileios.

Despite the critical nature of the situation, winds are not particularly strong, offering a sliver of hope that containment efforts might succeed. Strong ground forces are engaged in the area, with reinforcements expected. The coming hours are deemed crucial for controlling the fire and safeguarding Kalymnos's natural resources.

If it comes down a few more meters and goes into the pine forest, I don't know what will happen.

— Giannis MastrokoukosThe mayor of Kalymnos described the situation as critical, expressing his deep concern about the fire's potential to reach the dense pine forest.
DistantNews Editorial

Originally published by Ta Nea in Greek. Translated, summarized, and contextualized by our editorial team with added local perspective. Read our editorial standards.

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