Fire in Vilia region destroys outlying buildings, spares villages so far; high winds fanning mountain front
File photo: According to firefighting officials, the forecast by the National Meteorological Service for thin rain accompanied by strong winds may fan the active pockets of fire in the area.ΑΝΑ – ΜPA/ALEXANDROS BELTES
ΣΧΕΤΙΚΑ ΑΡΘΡΑ
The fire raging out of control in the region of Vilia, NW of Athens, has already burned homes and storage buildings that lay outside of villages and in the forest, as of Thursday afternoon, but evacuated villages appear safe for the time being.
The burned buildings lie in a region encompassed by Inoi, Karaouli, Agios Georgios, Paleohori and Titan, where firefighters tried through the night to prevent the approach of the flames.
Although the fire as of midday does not appear to threaten the villages themselves, it has a large front that is burning Mt. Pateras and is heading to the army practice range in Kandili, the region of Megara, where NNE winds are fanning it. It is now 5-6km away from Kandili, Fire Brigade officials said. It is assessed that the fire will stop there, since the terrain is rocky and has no plants.
In the Megara region, winds have a low velocity of 2 on the Beaufort scale, while in the rest of the region, that is further north toward Inoi, the winds occasionally register 4 to 6 on the Beaufort scale. According to firefighting officials, the forecast by the National Meteorological Service for thin rain accompanied by strong winds may fan the active pockets of fire in the area.
Besides the large ground forces, firefighting aircraft include 12 helicopters and 5 airplanes.
Source: ANA – MPA