Fire in Kouvaras: attributed to DEDDIE power cables

What happened

A fire in low vegetation broke out around 08:00 on the morning of Monday, August 10, at Agios Stylianos, in Kouvaras in the Municipality of Saronikos, in eastern Attica. Strong winds in the area quickly expanded the fire front, which advanced toward the settlement boundaries. Just before 09:00, a message was sent from the emergency number 112 with instructions for residents to evacuate toward Kalyvia Thorikoy, while the firefighting operation escalated within minutes.

The response

At the peak of force deployment, 197 firefighters with 42 vehicles engaged in firefighting efforts, along with seven pedestrian units from the 1st and 8th Mobile Emergency Response Units, as well as volunteer firefighters. From the air, two aircraft and seven helicopters assisted the ground operation. On the ground were also 23 French firefighters with four vehicles and 24 Romanian firefighters with five vehicles, who are in Greece as part of the European pre-positioning program for firefighting forces.

Traffic and official response

Police conducted traffic diversions to facilitate access for firefighting vehicles: on Sounion Avenue at the height of Lavrio Avenue, and on Eleftherios Venizelos Street at the height of Agios Georgios. The Minister of Climate Crisis and Civil Protection Evangelos Tournas visited the site and was briefed on the operation’s progress by the heads of the forces coordinating ground and aerial firefighting means.

Investigation findings

On the evening of Monday, August 10, the Arson Crimes Investigation Unit attributed the fire to sparks caused by contact between loose, untightened low-voltage cables of the DEDDIE network. According to the findings, the cables swayed due to the strong winds blowing through the area. Three residents of the area reported seeing sparks coming from a pole near a poultry unit, occurring shortly before the fire broke out in the vegetation.