Video from SKAI news on Sunday morning, June 17, 2012
The numerous fires that broke out on Saturday and that are continuing on Sunday are stirring up a lot of controversy. Press reports said that Greek intelligence officials were investigating information about an organized arson plan, similar to that of August 2007 when almost half the Peloponnese was burned down and tens of people died.
The news promoted Minister of National Defense Frangoulis Frangos to immediately activate the Deucalion (military) plan. The actions from the previous leadership at the Ministry of Citizen Protection has stripped Greece from access to extra fire-fighting power such as Russian helicopters.
Knowing that this makes Greece more vulnerable to possible arson attacks, Frangos activated the Greek military and immediately aerial surveillance, ground forces and military vehicles took action. Parallel to this, the Interdisciplinary Military Intelligence Bureau, and Greek secret intelligence officials are investigating specific allegations of organized arson attacks (information which is viewed as being very important, just like it was in 2007).
All Greek citizens are advised to report any suspicious movements and actions and to contact the Fire Department at 199.
Meanwhile, Greek firefighters are still battling several wildfires that are still burning near Athens and southern Greece. The blazes which broke out at the seaside cities of Keratea and Palea Fokea, some 40 kilometers southeast of Athens on Saturday turned several homes into ashes and injured two firefighters.
Hundreds of fire fighters assisted by four airplanes and a helicopter were struggling to contain the fires at Keratea against gale-force winds measuring up to 7-8 Beaufort. Meanwhile, a series of smaller wildfires broke out across Attica prefecture and the Peloponnese in southern Greece. In the northern Athens suburb of Pallini at the foot of Penteli mountain a wildfire even threatened a dairy production plant. In other areas of Greece, fires raged in Laconia, Achaia and Halkidiki. In Megali Spilia of Laconia about 30 firefighters battled several fronts with 12 vehicles, 8 ground personnel and four aircrafts.
The fire department and the General Secretariat for Civil Protection sent out a high ALERT for Sunday June 17 for the areas of:
- ATTICA - Central Athens sector, Athens West Sector, North Sector of Athens, Athens Southern Division, Eastern Attica, Western Attica, Piraeus Islands
- NORTH AGEAN - Lesvos, Chios, Samos and Ikaria
- CENTRAL GREECE - Boeotia, Fthiotida, Skyros Evia
- SOUTH AEGEAN - Andros, Tinos, Mykonos, Syros, Kea-Kythnos, Milos, Naxos, Paros and Santorini
- PELOPONNESE - Argolida, Corinth, Lakonia
References -
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