“We have a picture of the extent of the damage. What I consider positive is the fact that the number of houses damaged, although the fire entered the urban fabric, is very limited in relation to the intensity of the phenomenon. From now on from now on, the competent authorities responsible for the restoration will take over”, said the Prime Minister during a stop at the mobile operations center “Olympos” of the Fire Brigade, in the square of Palaia Penteli.
“I saw that the restoration of the electricity supply is proceeding with very fast steps. The damage will be recorded, we now have experience and our fellow citizens who suffered damage will be restored as soon as possible”, Kyriakos Mitsotakis added, as the autopsies on the full record of damages.
“I said it yesterday and I repeat it today, that what I consider to be a positive development is the level of organization and coordination between all the relevant agencies. However, nothing can ultimately replace the self-sacrifice of our firefighters and volunteers, those who are really on the front line and I think we all saw images of great self-sacrifice,” the Prime Minister pointed out, while thanking and congratulating once again all those who contributed to the extinguishing work.
“The fire was very difficult, I had the opportunity to tour its entire extent. Again, warm congratulations to those who fought in the field, in truly unprecedented conditions, because the winds were really extreme,” said Kyriakos Mitsotakis, who had at the same time the opportunity to talk with firefighters and Civil Protection officers.
The Prime Minister also noted that there is no room for complacency, as the fire season is still ongoing. “I want to emphasize that we still have a lot of work ahead of us, we are still at the end of July, August is ahead of us. And we should be ready to face any eventuality,” he said.
The first stop of the Prime Minister’s visit to the fire-stricken areas was the Penteli Children’s Hospital, which the firefighters managed to save from the flames.
The Prime Minister warmly thanked the firefighters for their difficult work. “These are the most difficult fires of all, you know that better and here in the area which has been tested before. Considering the conditions, the work done by the Fire Service was really outstanding and I would like to say personally a very thank you very much for what you have done. Of course we still have work ahead of us, but we will be on the front line. Be well, guys, thank you very much”, the Prime Minister emphasized while talking to a group of the Fire Department who were at the scene.
Kyriakos Mitsotakis toured the back of the hospital, where the battle was fought to prevent the fire from spreading to areas where flammable materials were located, such as the oxygen tank.
The Prime Minister also spoke to the nursing staff who were waiting for him outside the Hospital.
Kyriakos Mitsotakis’ next stop was the point “Karakanda Spring”, on the road from Penteli to Agios Petros, from where all the points through which the fire passed were visible.
The Operations Coordinator of Attica and Fire Brigade Major General, Panagiotis Niafas and the Major General of the Fire Operations Division, Christos Lambris, together with the President of the Association of Municipalities for the Protection and Redevelopment of Penteliko, Vlasis Siomos, informed Kyriakos Mitsotakis and explained to him the difficult conditions that prevailed, while they referred to the strong winds that constantly changed direction and the eddies that made the extinguishing work difficult.
The Prime Minister also visited the burned areas in Drafi, Panorama Pallini and Anthousa.
The Prime Minister was accompanied by the Minister of Climate Crisis and Civil Protection, Christos Stylianidis, the Minister of State, Akis Skertsos, the Deputy Minister to the Prime Minister responsible for State Aid and Rehabilitation from Natural Disasters, Christos Triantopoulos and the General Secretary of Civil Protection, Vassilis Papageorgiou.
The entire statement of the Prime Minister at the mobile operations center “Olympus”
The fire was very difficult, I had the opportunity to tour its entire extent. Congratulations again to those who battled the field in truly unprecedented conditions, for the winds were indeed extreme. We have a picture of the extent of the damage. What I consider positive is the fact that the number of houses damaged, although the fire entered the urban fabric, is very limited in relation to the intensity of the phenomenon.
From now on, the competent authorities responsible for the restoration will take over.
I saw that the restoration of electricity was proceeding with very rapid steps. The damage will be recorded, we now have experience and our fellow citizens who suffered damage will be rehabilitated as soon as possible.
I want to emphasize that we still have a lot of work ahead of us, we are still at the end of July, August is ahead of us. And we should be ready to face any eventuality. I said it yesterday and I repeat it today that what I consider to be a positive development is the level of organization and coordination between all the relevant bodies.
But nothing can finally replace the self-sacrifice of our firefighters and volunteers, those who are really on the front line and I think we have all seen images of great self-sacrifice, people who literally entered the flames to protect the forest but above all the houses of our fellow citizens. We owe everyone a big thank you.
*Journalist:* Are there any suspicions of arson?
*Kyriakos Mitsotakis:* We’ll see about that. I repeat what I said yesterday: we cannot rule out any possibility. Where the fire started, when the fire started raises reasonable questions.
Source: Capital
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