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Last Friday night was a nightmare for the mountain villages of Maries and Exo Chora. Residents were anxious for many hours as the fire grew stronger, which unfortunately burnt hundreds of acres of forest land and crops. Over 400 stremata in fact which converts to just under 99 acres of pure forest land.
The first big fire of Summer, 2020 started at 22.30 on Friday night from Exo Chora and moved quickly to Maries. At the very begining of the fire and throughout the middle of the night winds of great intensity were blowing. It was due to these conditions that lead to an incendiary action and unfortunately confirms that the forest wealth of our island remains in great danger.
As reported in a post by PROMETHEUS Group Risk Assessment of Natural & Technological Disasters, the evidence of not only arson but a well organised plan can be seen. commenting on their FB page one can read:-
Some evidence suggests that Friday’s fire is another act in the Island’s drama of arson.
These arsons are linked to economic benefits and a long-term plan to destroy the forest wealth of Zakynthos as an intermediate stage for land use change.
The first image shows the burnt areas of the island and with a different colour the different years of fire are depicted.
The first element is the time of the fire.
According to a testimony around 22:40 and according to the statement of the Mayor at 23:15. This time allows the fire to spread as the aerial means located on the island cannot attempt night fire fighting.
The second element.
Is the timeless recording of fires in neighbouring areas at different times. We see this comparable “entering” an area that has not been burnt to date in order to head north to unburned areas as well.
The red square shows the start and end of the fire due to a change in the direction of the wind.
The third element.
Is the 24-hour forecast that strong south winds will prevail on the island. Data from the records of the meteorological station in Sarakinado, Zakynthos show how things turned out.
The fire begins at a time when the wind is dropping to 4 km / h (1 Beaufort) with gusts of 13 km / h (3 Beaufort). Within two hours the winds had risen to 18 km / h (3 Beaufort) and gusts winds of up to 44 km / h (6 Beaufort). Speed for wind at the site of the fire may have been higher but there is no station in the area to confirm this.
Finally, at 04:40, the maximum of a small intensity of beneficial rainfall occurred.
Helicopter brought in to help.
With the first light, a helicopter was brought in to help extinguish the remaining pockets of fire. Several water drops were made to ensure there would be no repeat ignition within the area.
The flight of the fire fighting helicopter ERICKSON that took off from Araxos shows that the fire that is in recession is located northwest of the village Exo Chora without endangering the village of Maries.
During the threat our forces were operating with 40 fire fighters, a group of volunteers, 15 vehicles took part while 2 fire Department vehicles helped in the transport of “on foot” patrollers. Assistance from our local authorities with 6 water tankers and a machinery to combat the fire was also supplied.
Residents.
Residents in the area are once again on alert. The fire season has only just began and talk of a very difficult year has created unease among Zakynthians. Our authorities are aware of the situation, just what will happen over this summer period awaits to be seen. At this stage our district attorney and other fire department officials are investigating last friday’s fires. According to our locals newspapers, there are hopes that they will have information soon.
Member of Parliament, Dionysios Aktypis.
commenting on his personal FB page, pour member of parliament gave thanks to those who took part in fighting the fire.
Regarding the big fire, which broke out on the night of Friday, June 5, 2020, between the villages of Exo Chora and Maries, I would like to express my deepest gratitude to our Firefighters who managed to put the fire under control, proving once again how catalytic is the importance of immediate intervention, as well as to the executives of the Civil Protection of the Region, but also of the General Secretariat of Civil Protection, which operated in a coordinated manner and acted immediately and decisively.
Thanks to the immediate intervention of the Zakynthos Fire Brigade, but also to the readiness and excellent coordination of the Civil Protection mechanism of the Region in full cooperation with the Deputy Minister of Civil Protection Mr. Nikos Hardalias, the large fire between the villages Exo Chora and Ma , before expanding to avoid the worst. Once again, the state mechanism, through the Ministry of Civil Protection and the General Secretariat for Civil Protection, has worked perfectly and effectively. However, I believe that all of us should clearly condemn any arson. No one has the right to endanger human lives and property. In fact, by a tragic coincidence, this fire took place on World Environment Day. Personally, I strongly believe that protecting the environment is a matter for all of us. That is why I call on anyone who knows something that could lead to the arrest of arsonists not to hesitate to report it to the competent authorities.
Zakynthos Mayor, Nikitas Aretakis.
Mr Aretakis feels that areas was a target for arson and commented:-“The fire broke out at night and we were unable to deal with the situation from the air. We gave as much water as was needed. We brought machines and buses to evacuate the village if required. It is purely arson, because it happened at night, so that we could not intervene by air. This has troubled us. Fortunately, the wind helped us, because otherwise the village of Maries would have been threatened. We had taken care to evacuate the village i9f needed as that was the order given by the Civil Protection. The Fire Department did a very good job and we are in constant contact with Civil Protection from Athens, which was monitoring the fire from a satellite and other modern means.
George Stasinopoulos – Deputy Regional Governor of Zakynthos.
“We have taken all the necessary steps. We informed the village about the evacuation and the buses were ready in case they needed to transport the residents to a safe place. We were in contact with the Ministry of Civil Protection, the Regional Director of Fire Services of the Ionian Islands, Ioannis Panopoulos, and the Regional Governor “.
Environmental disaster.
As the video below shows one can only feel sad for our environment. The aftermath of the fire has left the residents in shock. Once again Zakynthos had luck on her side that her villages were not threatened. However, her forests are under continual threat and it seems that those who threaten her are persistant in their battle. Let’s just hope that our greenery is saved from their hands. After all, it is Zakynthos’ natural environment that has made her so special not only to us living here but world wide.
photos from:- https://www.facebook.com/fireservice.gr/ & https://www.facebook.com/groups/1629089564054928/
