Evia fire confined to a gorge away from villages
The overnight efforts of nearly 400 firefighters, aided by calmer winds, have confined the wildfire on the island of Evia into a gorge away from the village of Platania, which had faced an imminent threat Wednesday.
A total of 382 firefighters with 98 vehicles fought in steep terrain to contain the fire overnight. They were augmented by soldiers, 38 volunteers and 16 other vehicles provided by local authorities and volunteers. Shortly after dawn Thursday, at 6:30 am. local, five helicopters were added to the forces. Firefighting planes and helicopters can't operate at night. The helicopters were deemed more appropriate for targeted action in the steep gorge. Despite all these effort, the fire still rages inside the gorge, consuming highly flammable pine trees.
[ANA-MPA]
