Latest news with #IoannisKefalogiannis
Yahoo
23-06-2025
- Climate
- Yahoo
Greece declares emergency on Chios over wildfires
Greece put the Mediterranean island of Chios under a state of emergency on Monday because of major fires that have raged since the weekend. Civil Protection Minister Ioannis Kefalogiannis said the decision was made so the authorities could "immediately take the necessary measures". Government spokesman Pavlos Marinakis called on island residents to exercise "the greatest caution" and follow official instructions. Chios, in the northern Aegean Sea, is Greece's fifth-largest island and is currently facing five separate fire outbreaks. Some 190 firefighters, 38 vehicles, 12 helicopters and four water-bombers have been deployed, the fire service said. Kefalogiannis, who travelled to the island, said strong winds, estimated at force six on the Beaufort Scale were making the situation "very difficult". Reinforcements were being deployed, he told Greek news site iEidiseis. "If the wind dies down a bit we might be able to get this fire under control," he said. "But the wind really hasn't dropped." On Sunday, hundreds of asylum seekers were forced to move from a reception centre while seven villages were evacuated on Monday. Island authorities feared the fire was dangerously close to fields of valuable mastic trees, whose aromatic sap is used in making chewing gum, alcoholic drinks and pharmaceuticals. Mastic is the island's most famous product, designated part of its intangible cultural heritage by world heritage body UNESCO. Greece is particularly vulnerable to fires in summer, fuelled by strong winds, drought and high temperatures linked to climate change. Forecasts are predicting a heatwave in the coming days with temperatures of more than 40 Celsius (104 Fahrenheit) expected, including in the capital Athens. mr/yap/phz/jxb
Observer
23-06-2025
- Climate
- Observer
Greece declares emergency on Chios due to fires
ATHENS: Greece on Monday said it had put the Mediterranean island of Chios under a state of emergency because of major fires that have raged since the weekend. Civil Protection Minister Ioannis Kefalogiannis said the decision was made so the local authorities "can immediately take the necessary measures". Chios, in the northern Aegean Sea, is Greece's fifth-largest island and is currently facing five separate fire outbreaks. Some 190 firefighters, 38 vehicles, 12 helicopters and four water-bombers have been deployed to tackle the flames, the fire service said. Kefalogiannis, who travelled to the island, said strong winds, estimated at force six on the Beaufort Scale were making the situation "very difficult". A firefighting helicopter makes a water drop, Chios island. — Reuters Reinforcements were being deployed, he told Greek news site iEidiseis, adding: "If the wind dies down a bit we might be able to get this fire under control. "But the wind really hasn't dropped." On Sunday, about a dozen localities and hundreds of asylum seekers at a reception centre were forced to move while on Monday, seven villages had to be evacuated. Greece is particularly vulnerable to fires during the summer months, fuelled by strong winds, drought and high temperatures linked to climate change. Forecasts predict a heatwave in the coming days, with temperatures of more than 40 Celsius (104 Fahrenheit) expected, including in the capital Athens. — AFP
eNCA
23-06-2025
- eNCA
Greece declares emergency on Chios over wildfires
Greece put the Mediterranean island of Chios under a state of emergency on Monday because of major fires that have raged since the weekend. Civil Protection Minister Ioannis Kefalogiannis said the decision was made so the authorities could "immediately take the necessary measures". Government spokesman Pavlos Marinakis called on island residents to exercise "the greatest caution" and follow official instructions. Chios, in the northern Aegean Sea, is Greece's fifth-largest island and is currently facing five separate fire outbreaks. Some 190 firefighters, 38 vehicles, 12 helicopters and four water-bombers have been deployed, the fire service said. Kefalogiannis, who travelled to the island, said strong winds, estimated at force six on the Beaufort Scale were making the situation "very difficult". Reinforcements were being deployed, he told Greek news site iEidiseis. "If the wind dies down a bit we might be able to get this fire under control," he said. "But the wind really hasn't dropped." On Sunday, hundreds of asylum seekers were forced to move from a reception centre while seven villages were evacuated on Monday. Island authorities feared the fire was dangerously close to fields of valuable mastic trees, whose aromatic sap is used in making chewing gum, alcoholic drinks and pharmaceuticals. Mastic is the island's most famous product, designated part of its intangible cultural heritage by world heritage body UNESCO. Greece is particularly vulnerable to fires in summer, fuelled by strong winds, drought and high temperatures linked to climate change.
BBC News
23-06-2025
- Climate
- BBC News
Chios: Wildfires rage on Greek island
A state of emergency has been declared on the Greek island of Chios where five separate wildfires are burning and being fanned by strong in 17 communities have been evacuated and an arson investigation has been launched into what caused the different fronts to start is such a short amount of forest fires broke out on Sunday in the areas of Kofinas, Agia Anna and Agios Makarios. A fourth blaze erupted shortly after midnight in Agios Markos, followed by a fifth front on Monday morning in blaze has already damaged homes, crops and infrastructure on the Aegean island, with local media reporting that several houses have been destroyed. There is a moderate high temperature warning on Chios, with highs of about 30C, but it is expected to get hotter toward the end of the 190 firefighters were operating on the island, supported by 11 aircraft and helicopters. An additional 90 firefighters are also due to arrive from Athens and Thessaloniki, authorities from the island show locals trying to help firefighters, throwing buckets of water on flames and using clothing to try to pat out smaller spot media reported extensive damage to a number of houses and at least one distillery, with some residents saying they had been unable to return to see if their property had been damaged. Climate Crisis and Civil Protection Minister Ioannis Kefalogiannis travelled to Chios, and said after an emergency meeting that he is "troubled and concerned" about the outbreak of multiple fires in different parts of the island "without a clear explanation"."This is something that must be investigated thoroughly," he a team from the fire service's Arson Investigation Unit, working alongside local police officers, has launched an investigation into what caused the local power grid has been damaged by the fires, causing outages in the wider Vrontados area. Teams from the Hellenic Electricity Distribution Network (HEDNO) have been sent from the neighbouring island of Lesvos to carry out repairs. Some planned power cuts have also been introduced to support firefighting operations. Water supply issues and damage to infrastructure have also been is the first major wildfire this summer for Greece, which is no stranger to devastating fires and extreme Chios, an intense wildfire in 2012 wiped out more than half of the island's iconic mastic - a tree resin used in cooking and pharmaceuticals - disrupting the global supply of the so-called "tears of Chios".
France 24
23-06-2025
- France 24
Greece declares emergency on Chios over wildfires
Civil Protection Minister Ioannis Kefalogiannis said the decision was made so the authorities could "immediately take the necessary measures". Government spokesman Pavlos Marinakis called on island residents to exercise "the greatest caution" and follow official instructions. Chios, in the northern Aegean Sea, is Greece's fifth-largest island and is currently facing five separate fire outbreaks. Some 190 firefighters, 38 vehicles, 12 helicopters and four water-bombers have been deployed, the fire service said. Kefalogiannis, who travelled to the island, said strong winds, estimated at force six on the Beaufort Scale were making the situation "very difficult". Reinforcements were being deployed, he told Greek news site iEidiseis. "If the wind dies down a bit we might be able to get this fire under control," he said. "But the wind really hasn't dropped." On Sunday, hundreds of asylum seekers were forced to move from a reception centre while seven villages were evacuated on Monday. Island authorities feared the fire was dangerously close to fields of valuable mastic trees, whose aromatic sap is used in making chewing gum, alcoholic drinks and pharmaceuticals. Mastic is the island's most famous product, designated part of its intangible cultural heritage by world heritage body UNESCO. Greece is particularly vulnerable to fires in summer, fuelled by strong winds, drought and high temperatures linked to climate change. © 2025 AFP
