The fire broke out around 2:00 pm on Friday and just a few hours later the fire front stretched over 7 kilometers. The fire is out of control and several houses have caught fire.
In connection with the extinguishing work, an elderly man has been found dead in his home in the village of Keratea. According to ERT, the area has been hit by strong storm winds, which makes the extinguishing work more difficult.
Around 190 firefighters are working to put out the fire and the police are assisting the fire department in transporting elderly people to safe places. Eleven planes and seven helicopters have been called in to extinguish the fires.
Several villages have been evacuated and further evacuations are expected during the evening, according to the rescue service to ERT.
At the same time, forest fires have also broken out in Turkey. Authorities have been forced to close the Dardanelles strait, which connects the Aegean Sea and the Sea of Marmara, to shipping and evacuate several villages in the northwestern province of Canakkale on Friday. There, too, the extinguishing work is being hindered by strong winds.
