Zakynthos: 112 alert orders evacuation from Elies

A second wildfire on the same day broke out on Tuesday 11 August on Zakynthos, this time in the area of Volimes, in the northern part of the island. The Fire Service immediately mobilised ground and aerial forces, as the front spread across land with dense vegetation and scattered settlements. Shortly afterwards the European emergency number 112 was activated, first with a readiness message for the area of Elies and then with a clear order for residents and visitors to move towards Volimes.

Twenty firefighters with six vehicles are battling the flames, with support from a ground team of the 17th Special Forest Operations Unit. From the air, four aircraft and two helicopters are carrying out successive water drops over the active front. Volunteer firefighters are also taking part, while water tankers from local authorities are supplying the vehicles and reinforcing the effort at points where access for the larger units is difficult.

The 112 alert followed the escalation applied by civil protection authorities: a readiness message is sent first, so that citizens can prepare, and if the development of the front requires it, an order follows to move to a specific, safer destination. In this case the destination indicated was Volimes, a settlement with easier access for rescue service vehicles. The competent services asked citizens to follow only official instructions and not unverified information.

Earlier on the morning of Tuesday 11 August another fire had broken out in the area of Marathias, in the southern part of Zakynthos, where the situation improved after the intervention of the forces. Two incidents within the same twenty-four hours strain the resources available on an island, as forces are split between two fronts far apart from each other and reinforcements from the mainland take time to arrive. August remains the most demanding month for wildfires across the country.