NEWS

Large fire near Mount Parnitha razes forestland, threatens village

A large fire that broke out in the area of Dervenohoria, west of Mount Parnitha, yesterday morning was brought under control late in the evening after ravaging dozens of hectares of thick pine forest and threatening residential areas. A rescue effort involving 14 water-dropping aircraft, 51 fire engines and 140 firefighters managed to quell the flames that scorched the yards of several homes in the small village of Panakto but did not damage any houses or cause any injuries. More than a dozen fire engines were dispatched to douse a nearby munitions factory and the surrounding area with water. Fortunately the fire did not approach the factory. The response to the blaze was immediate and large-scale, possibly because of its proximity to the huge fire that devastated a large part of Mount Parnitha just over a year ago. The fire started near Oinoi, one of several villages in the Dervenohoria municipality, and spread several kilometers southwest toward the village of Panakto before being brought under control. «The fire started in an inaccessible ravine that even the water-dropping aircraft couldn’t access,» Dervenohoria Mayor Kleanthis Panagiotidis told Kathimerini. «We didn’t think for a minute that it would reach Panakto,» he added. The Thessaloniki fire service had an equally tough job yesterday fighting a blaze that broke out in the area of Xiropotamos, near the northern city. Firefighters late last night said their efforts were being thwarted by strong winds, which kept changing direction. The fire was not close to any residential areas.

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