A wildfire burning near the coastal Siviri site on the Kassandra Peninsula in Halkidiki remained difficult to control in late Thursday afternoon, as strong winds pushed the flames across both sides of a provincial road and as authorities prepared for further evacuations by sea.
The blaze broke out shortly after 2 p.m. near the amphitheater in Siviri and rapidly expanded through a dense pine forest. Earlier in the day, the fire front stretched for more than two kilometers, with flames reaching an estimated 20 to 30 meters in some areas.
The firefighting effort has been complicated by winds exceeding 5 on the Beaufort scale, dense vegetation and difficult terrain. The lack of forest roads and trails has made access to parts of the fire front particularly difficult, while thick black smoke has restricted the visibility of aircraft crews.
As the fire spread, authorities evacuated scattered holiday homes and a hotel in Fourka that was hosting children from Ukraine. Large numbers of residents and visitors attempted to leave by road, causing severe traffic congestion on the peninsula’s limited road network.
More than 15 boats operated by local volunteers were mobilized to assist with a possible organized evacuation by sea. Children, adults and elderly people were already being transported by boat toward the resort harbor of Sani, while coast guard personnel assisted with the operation. Additional boats were deployed near the small port of Fourka.
Meanwhile, two firefighters have required medical treatment: one suffering from respiratory problems was taken to the Kassandra Health Center, while another with a lower-limb injury was transferred to the Polygyros Hospital.
Six ambulances, a mobile medical unit, two smaller emergency vehicles and three rapid-response motorcycles, staffed by paramedics and medical personnel, were operating in the area.
The fire comes during another period of heightened wildfire risk in Greece, with dry vegetation, high seasonal temperatures and strong winds contributing to rapidly changing conditions. The Kassandra Peninsula has been among the areas under particular scrutiny this summer because of its extensive pine forests and large concentration of holiday homes and tourism facilities.
Elsewhere, a second major wildfire broke out Thursday evening in Aetoloakarnania prefecture, western Greece.
The blaze was reported at about 6 p.m. in an agricultural and forested area near Mamoulada in the Nafpaktia municipality. A total of 45 firefighters with nine vehicles were mobilized, including 22 firefighters with four vehicles from the Czech Republic who are in Greece under the European Union’s pre-positioning program for firefighters.
One helicopter was also deployed for aerial firefighting, while water tankers from the municipality of Nafpaktia joined the operation.
