Executive branch of the Mitsotakis government “hung a white flag” in regards to the uncontrollably raging fire in Alexandroupolis, as Fire Department spokesman Yiannis Artopios stated some time ago that “the severity of the phenomenon exceeds the strength of the state mechanism”.
In short, citizens have nothing more to expect from public servants in order to save their property and the beautiful nature in which they lived… four days ago.
The question arises: why was the fire beyond the power of the state apparatus? What has the Mitsotakis government, which has ruled for the past four years, done about it? Has it purchased serious aviation fire equipment? Has it acquired drones to monitor the forests? After all, prevention is much more important than firefighting. As the firefighters say “In the first minute, you need a glass of water to put out a fire, in the second – a bucket, and in the third – a whole fire engine.”
All in all, the results are…
“17 aircraft and 250 firefighters have been on the scene since the fire broke out at dawn on Saturday, but the severity of the incident is beyond the capacity of any mechanism.”Artopios said.
He stressed that efforts are directed, on the one hand, to extinguish the fire, but where it is difficult, priority is given to saving citizens, hence the messages sent to 112 residents – “ensure the physical integrity of citizens.”
The fire in Alexandroupoli worries the fire brigade the most, fire brigade spokesman Yiannis Artopios said in an interview with SKAI. He added that the wind has not subsided at all, blowing at an intensity of 7-8 points on the Beaufort scale, which does not contribute to fire extinguishing at all. Fire, he said, moves where the wind blows it.
As for the hospital in Alexandroupoli, he stressed that it had to be evacuated due to very thick smoke and to avoid breathing problems for patients. According to him, the operation began at 21:45, and it was decided to convert the ship Adamantios Korais into a floating hospital, as well as to prepare facilities in Xanthi Komotini and Thessaloniki for receiving patients, which was done.
As for the fire in Dadia, he said that there were two fires, the first one was dealt with very quickly, but the second one became large due to strong winds. He pointed out that the Dadia forest is a passage for migrants, and when hot action takes place in such a dense forest, there is a high risk of fire.
Regarding the fire in Rodopi, Artopios said that the situation in Mishos and Yasmos is noticeably better. Regarding the fire in Aspropyrgos, he noted that it is not far from the site of yesterday’s fire, and that almost every day the fire brigade is called to this area for fires caused by burning tires or other materials, as well as from burning dry grass in household plots.
For Evia, he says, the picture is better than yesterday. “We will be better, the wind will help a little,” he added. Regarding the fire in Veotia, he reported that the fire continues on the western side between Prodromos and Saranti beach. And for Kythnos he said that the fire was moving towards Petrusa and Agios Dimitrios.
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