Nikos Papanicolau and Tiffany Welheimer
BBC News
Reuters/Konstantinos anagnostou
Athens and Thessaloniki firefighters deployed to the island on Monday
On the island of Chios in Greece, five separate wildfires have been fired and an emergency has been declared incited by strong winds.
Archfire investigations have been launched as reasons that caused residents of 17 communities to evacuate and various aspects to begin.
Three bushfires broke out in the areas of Cofinas, Agia Anna and Agios Macarios on Sunday. A fourth flame erupted shortly after midnight at Agios Marcos, followed by a fifth front on Monday morning at Agiasmata.
The flames have already damaged homes, crops and infrastructure on the Aegean island, and local media reports that several homes have been destroyed.
The Chios has a medium high temperature warning, with a maximum of around 30c, but is expected to get hot towards the end of the week.
Approximately 190 firefighters operated the island, supported by 11 aircraft and helicopters. Another 90 firefighters are also scheduled to arrive from Athens and Thessaloniki, authorities said.
Photos of the island show locals trying to help firefighters, throwing water over the flames and using clothes to pat on a small spot fire.
Local media reported significant damage to many homes and at least one distillery, with some residents saying they were unable to return to see if their property was damaged.
Getty Images
Locals have helped firefighters across the island
The Climate Crisis and Minister of Civil Protection Ioannis Kefaloziannis said he was “troubled and worried” about “no clear explanation” of the multiple fires on various parts of the island after the emergency meeting.
“This is something that needs to be thoroughly investigated,” he added.
Meanwhile, in collaboration with local police officers, the team from the fire service’s arson investigation department has begun an investigation into the cause of the fire.
The local power grid has been damaged by the fire, causing outages in the wider Vrontados region. A team from the Helenic Electrical Distribution Network (HEDNO) was sent from nearby Lesvos to perform repairs.
Several planned power outages have also been introduced to support firefighting operations.
Water supply issues and infrastructure damage have also been reported.
This is Greece’s first major wildfire of the summer. This is not a stranger to catastrophic fires and extreme heat.
At Chios, a fierce wildfire in 2012 wiped out more than half of the island’s iconic mastics – wood resin used in cooking and medicines – disrupt the global supply of so-called “tears of tears.”
