The example of Evia and the 95 dead in Mati

Even as the number of dead from the Mati wildfire reached 95, a large wildfire in Evia and the evacuation of communities revived the nightmarish memories from Mati.

In Evia, local authorities and the Fire Service did not want to cause a panic. They did what they should have, operating with lucidity, coordination, and an immediate firefighting operation to handle the large and difficult fire.
The result was that a few hours later, in the early morning hours today, there was no active fire front, with the exceptions of small, scattered loci.

In this case, all those involved in managing the fire acted with lightening speed. A preventive evacuation of two communities, a summer camp, and a monastery was ordered. The magnitude of the two fires may not have been comparable, as regards the number of people trapped in Mati, yet it was an example of how services, state mechanisms, and local government should act in handling major fires.

The reaction in Evia was in no way similar to the confusion that prevailed during the first hours of the deadly fire in Eastern Attica, before it reached Mati.

The General Secretariat of Civil protection said that this time the Crisis Management Council convened immediately with the chief of the Fire Service. It took all the necessary decisions to protect citizens in the area, so that nobody would be in harm’s way.

At the same time, local government officials, such as the mainland Greece prefect and government cadres such as Andreas Apostolou, were on the scene immediately, so as to see first-hand the development of the fire, to be briefed on necessary actions, and to mobilise the necessary forces.

At the same time, local government officials showed that there was an emergency management plan.
“Local government acted very quickly and effectively. The main thing in such cases is not to delay, said Mainland Greece Prefect Kostas Bakoyannis, noting that the prefecture and the municipality are very experienced in handling such cases.

“We were ready. We had a plan, and the evacuation was carried out immediately. Everyone operated as they should have. There are evacuation plans for every village,” the prefect underlined.