Fires Update
Hey everybody 
Since there's a lot of interest in the fire situation, I wanted to share this with you:
The fires in Alexandroupoli were massive, fueled by 7 Beaufort winds, and burned about 40,000 hectares in just the first 3 days (that's the size of Thassos island!). Before hearing that news, I could already tell the blaze on the mainland was massive because I had never seen smoke and ash like that before, not even during the island's previous 2 fires in 2016 or 2022.
I took this picture outside of our office in Limenas on Tuesday, August 22:
I took this picture from the same location today, August 28:
The island is on alert and on the hotter and windier days, mountain roads are closed. It's inconvenient for me as a local who likes going for walks along mountain trails but I don't mind, I'm glad the authorities are doing what they can to help protect our precious forests when the weather conditions are conducive to fires.
Fingers crossed we'll get through this summer without any forest fires on Thassos. The locals as well as the authorities are doing everything they can to prevent them, calling for volunteers to stand guard 24/7. Many locals are heeding the call. The goal is to spot and respond to any fire within 30 minutes of it starting because if it can be reached quickly then the chances of preventing it from spreading are exponentially higher.
If you are on Thassos and you see any signs of smoke or a fire, please alert your host immediately so they can inform the local authorities. You can also call the emergency number 199 or the Thassos Fire Department at +30 25930 23199.
Thank you so much and enjoy your holidays on Thassos!
Since there's a lot of interest in the fire situation, I wanted to share this with you:
The fires in Alexandroupoli were massive, fueled by 7 Beaufort winds, and burned about 40,000 hectares in just the first 3 days (that's the size of Thassos island!). Before hearing that news, I could already tell the blaze on the mainland was massive because I had never seen smoke and ash like that before, not even during the island's previous 2 fires in 2016 or 2022.
I took this picture outside of our office in Limenas on Tuesday, August 22:
I took this picture from the same location today, August 28:
The island is on alert and on the hotter and windier days, mountain roads are closed. It's inconvenient for me as a local who likes going for walks along mountain trails but I don't mind, I'm glad the authorities are doing what they can to help protect our precious forests when the weather conditions are conducive to fires.
Fingers crossed we'll get through this summer without any forest fires on Thassos. The locals as well as the authorities are doing everything they can to prevent them, calling for volunteers to stand guard 24/7. Many locals are heeding the call. The goal is to spot and respond to any fire within 30 minutes of it starting because if it can be reached quickly then the chances of preventing it from spreading are exponentially higher.
If you are on Thassos and you see any signs of smoke or a fire, please alert your host immediately so they can inform the local authorities. You can also call the emergency number 199 or the Thassos Fire Department at +30 25930 23199.
Thank you so much and enjoy your holidays on Thassos!
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