Skyros: 89 firefighters on two fire fronts

A wildfire that broke out on Saturday afternoon, 15 August 2026, around 4:00 pm, in dense pine forest in Atsitsa, Skyros, triggered two evacuation orders through the 112 emergency system and a major mobilisation of forces. Winds exceeding seven knots split the fire into two fronts, with one front moving southward toward Agios Fokas and another eastward toward the Pefko settlement. The first 112 alert went out at 4:31 pm, calling for evacuation from Agios Fokas toward Acherountes, while the second alert was issued at 6:15 pm for evacuation from Pefko toward Skyros Town. Both settlements were evacuated without any reported injuries to residents or visitors.

Reinforcements arrived by sea from Chalkis after 1:00 am on Sunday, coming from three regions: twenty firefighters with five vehicles from the Search and Rescue Unit of Attica, six firefighters with three vehicles from the Euboea Fire Service Directorate, four with two vehicles from the Thessaly Region, and five from the Lamia Rescue Unit. By Sunday morning, 89 firefighters with 21 vehicles and six hiking teams were operating on site, alongside volunteers. As dawn broke, drops began from two helicopters and four aircraft. In total, seven aircraft and five helicopters were deployed, one of which was for coordination, though powerful winds periodically restricted drop operations and forced crews to pause.

The Civil Protection Authority activated the European Union’s Copernicus service to immediately map the areas of Skyros Municipality that were affected. This tool provides satellite imagery of burned areas used both for operational planning and for damage assessment. The island remained in Red Code mobilisation status on Sunday, as it is part of the Euboea Regional Unit, as TodayGrid reported in the story “Red Code in five areas on Sunday.” This mapping typically becomes the basis for subsequent compensation and reforestation procedures.

The numbers of units participating vary between sources, as no separate fire service bulletin has been issued for Skyros, and the data comes from republications of operational updates. Events scheduled for the Assumption holiday were cancelled on the island, while smoke was visible as far as Euboea. Skyros has some of the few remaining pine forests in the region, and access is difficult, with most forces having to be transported by ship from the mainland. Ship transport adds hours to response time, a disadvantage faced by all islands without permanent strong fire service coverage.

lang: “en” translation_of: “skyros-89-pyrosvestes-se-dyo-pyrina-metopa”