Order given for the urgent evacuation of Vrisa on Lesvos: Fire around Vatera, Lesvos enters second day

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Wildfire burns farmland and forest in the municipality of Monemvasia

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The mayor of western Lesvos Taxiarchis Verros on Sunday afternoon ordered the precautionary evacuation of the village of Vrisa as a wildfire continued to rage on the island for a second consecutive day.

A message sent to people in Vrisa via the 112 emergency number instructed them to evacuate due to a forest fire in the vicinity and head toward Polichnito, where a centre to receive them has been set up.

Fifteen hours after the major fire began, the main front of the fire had reached the edges of the village, which had been devastated by a major earthquake in 2017. The fire is moving from Vrisa to Vasilika, where fire fighters, volunteers, residents and visitors to the area are battling to prevent the flames reaching the village.

Fire fighters, volunteers, local residents and visitors continued to battle the flames around the seaside resort of Vatera, Lesvos on Sunday, as the wildfire entered its second day. The fire-fighting effort is now focused on preventing the flames crossing the road between Vrisa and Vatera and returning to parts of the settlement that have not yet caught fire.

Fighting the fire from the air since Sunday morning are two PZL water-bombing aircraft based on Lesvos, two fire-fighting helicopters based on Lesvos and Chios and two Canadair water-bombing planes.

Sources said that three smaller Airtractor planes adapted for fire-fighting are on their way to the island, while 20 fire fighters and five fire engines are due to arrive from Attica.

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