Forest fire raging in Alonissos, authorities order the evacuation of tourist facilities
ΣΧΕΤΙΚΑ ΑΡΘΡΑ
Fire fighters on Thursday continued efforts to extinguish the fire that suddenly broke out late on Wednesday at Gerakini Laka on the island of Alonissos, at an inaccessible location in the pine forest that surrounds the area.
The fire had earlier been reported to be under control but was rekindled in several places due to strong winds.
Throughout the night, ground forces of the Alonissos Fire Brigade, assisted by six municipal water trucks, attempted to contain and put out the fire, while two firefighting aircraft and a helicopter arrived this morning to completely extinguish the blaze. According to initial estimates, the fire has burned through about 11 hectares of pine forest. During the night, island authorities decided to evacuate the five-star hotel complex “Marpunta Village Resort” as a precaution, because the direction of the wind was pushing the fire in its direction.
All residents of the tourist complex were evacuated as a safety precaution in three boats and were transported to the main port of the island in Patitiri. In statements to the Athens-Macedonian News Agency (ANA), the owner of the hotel, Katerina Santikou, said that everything went well in the end, since the fire caused no problems to the hotel complex, and the residents of “Marpunta Village Resort” will be transferred back to their lodgings.
Source: AMNA