According to news in the Greek media, the fires have reignited in the regions of Malonas, Vatio, and Genadiyo on the island of Rhodes, leading to new evacuations.
Despite all efforts, the fire, which started 9 days ago, remains uncontained and has intensified due to strong winds. Additionally, the fire that started on the island of Corfu continues to spread, and as a precautionary measure, some settlements were evacuated last night.
In the regions of Apraos and Kalamaki, some houses and businesses were damaged by the fire.
"Could be arson."
Nikos Muzakitis, the Deputy Mayor of Northern Corfu, claimed in a statement to the Greek Radio and Television Corporation (ERT) that "at some point, flames had suddenly appeared, and a car had immediately left the scene." Muzakitis stated that they were on "high alert" to monitor such incidents and suggested that it could be arson.
More than 600 fires in the last 13 days across the country
Vasilis Kikilias, the Minister of Climate Crisis and Civil Protection of Greece, stated that more than 600 fires had occurred across the country in the last 13 days. Authorities point out that the fires on the islands of Rhodes and Corfu are among the most dangerous ones nationwide.
2 people died in Greece after a firefighting plane crashed.
In the region of Platanistos in Euboea, approximately 200 kilometers away from Athens, a CL-215 firefighting plane crashed during aerial firefighting, resulting in the death of two people. The Greek Air Force Command announced that during the firefighting operations, the plane had crashed in the Platanistos region at 14:52 local time. The accident claimed the lives of the 34-year-old pilot, Hristos Mulas, and the 27-year-old co-pilot, Periklis Stefanidis.
Türkiye provides support in firefighting efforts
In order to assist Greece with ongoing forest fires, Türkiye, along with Israel, Egypt, Bulgaria, Italy, Malta, France, Jordan, Poland, Romania, and Slovakia, sent aid. Following President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan's instructions, the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry of Türkiye dispatched two amphibious firefighting planes and one firefighting helicopter with a nine-person flight crew, which arrived in Athens on July 22.
The planes sent from Türkiye are actively participating in firefighting efforts on the island of Rhodes at the moment.
