Large wildfire near Sitia, Crete — 105 firefighters and 35 vehicles battling blaze
Firefighters spent the night fighting a blaze in Chonos; aerial suppression is set to resume at first light.
A large wildfire that broke out on Sunday afternoon in the Chonos area near Sitia on Crete remains active, with firefighting crews battling the blaze through the night.
Night operations and plans for aerial support
Authorities have deployed 105 firefighters supported by 35 vehicles and five ground crews. Officials said aerial operations are expected to resume after dawn to reinforce containment efforts.
During the night the fire expanded toward the Karidia area, prompting authorities to continue preventive evacuations and issue warnings to local residents. At one point the flames drew within roughly 500 to 600 metres of a village, but a shift in wind direction pushed the fire front away from populated areas.
Residents received alerts through the emergency number 112. Warnings went to inhabitants of Kelaria, Adravaistoj, Klisidia, Zarko and Azokeramos, urging heightened caution; later the population of the Zakros area received a new alert ordering evacuation toward Xerokampos.
Yorgos Zervakis, the mayor of Sitia, described the situation as particularly severe, citing winds of about five on the Beaufort scale and frequent flare-ups that complicate firefighting operations.
Photo: press material from the event
