Overview

• Civil Protection Minister Yiannis Kefalogiannis declared the state of emergency to enable urgent municipal measures
• Five separate fire fronts are advancing across Chios under six-Beaufort-scale winds
• About 190 firefighters supported by 38 vehicles, 13 helicopters and four water bombers are deployed on the island
• Dozens of villages and a migrant reception center have been evacuated as flames encroach on communities
• Authorities warn that fires threaten the island’s mastic groves while a heatwave with temperatures above 40°C is forecast