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In Volissos, the main village of Amani, houses have burned down. Yesterday, we evacuated all 19 villages in the area and rescued residents and vacationers whose lives were in danger. Houses, caravans, cars have burned down. The situation is dramatic.

The deputy mayor of the Amani area, Konstantinos Rimikis, describes to K the heartbreaking images of the new major fire that is hitting the island of Chios for the second time this summer. Last June, a significant green lung in the central part of the island was destroyed and areas of mastic cultivation were threatened, with some of them being given over to the flames. Today, residents are seeing the nightmare of the fire return, this time to the northwest of Chios and at the peak of the tourist season.

The fire front is estimated to be over 32 kilometers long. The municipal district of Amani, which has suffered the greatest destruction, is approximately one third of the island in area, but it is the smallest in terms of population. Consider that in its mountain villages, in winter, only 10 or 12 people live. With this fire that destroyed shops and olive mills, the end of these areas has come. I tell you that the tombstone of Amanis has been laid, notes Mr. Rimikis.

The destruction of natural wealth is incalculable

Ilias Smyrnioudis, general director of the Chios Mastic Producers Association, speaks of the incalculable damage that has resulted in the destruction of the natural wealth and beauty of northern Chios. He himself saw his ancestral home in Volissos in danger from the flames and the family's fields reduced to ashes.

No matter which part of Chios burns, the damage to flora and fauna is enormous for the island. When the second major fire comes within a month and a half, you understand that preventive measures need to be taken urgently, Mr. Smyrnioudis points out to Ko, while mentioning the additional difficulties of this period, a few days before August 15.

There are many foreign visitors to the island who had to move and look for available accommodation in safer areas, which is difficult at this time of year due to the fullness. From what I know, the municipality undertook to host them, opening the indoor gym and some other infrastructure on the island. Things are a little easier for the locals who probably have some houses to accommodate.

In the drawers, studies on fire protection

Although the fire in Chios is burning far from the 24 Mastic Villages, which are spread across the southern part of the island, mastic producers are not complacent. Georgos Toumpos, president of the Mastic Producers' Association, tells K that more than 1.4 million mastic trees on Chios are threatened by the microclimate created on the island.

There are scientific studies that show that mastic depends on the microclimate conditions. It does not rain here, but it does rain a lot of ayazi which is created in the mountainous areas of the north, where the green lung of the island used to be. However, the deforestation of the forests in this area will affect the conditions and will definitely have consequences for our own crops.

As of today, we have not received any official response, except for the one from the forestry department, which told us that work worth 18,000 euros has been done. It is a mockery and a shame. Chios is unprotected from one end to the other in terms of fire protection

Immediately after the last fire in Chios (June 22-24), which burned more than 40,000 acres, the island's Mastic Producers' Association sought out the studies that had been carried out over the past decade on the island's fire safety.

We asked local bodies to tell us which of the studies on fire safety and protection of the island have been implemented since 2012 and 2016, when we had the major fires in Chios. I was present when in 2016, Professor Mr. Lekkas and his team had conducted a relevant study after being commissioned by the then regional governor, Mrs. Kalogirou, which they delivered, but it seems that it was left in a drawer, Mr. Toumbos tells us and adds: To this day, as we speak, we have not received any official response, except for that from the forestry department, which told us that works worth 18,000 euros have been carried out. It is a mockery and a shame. Chios is unarmored in terms of fire protection from one end to the other.

Chios is being tested for the second time this summer by a major fire that continues to threaten areas and undermine its natural wealth. The testimonies of residents and organizations in Chios converge on one message: substantial prevention and real shielding of the island from fires are more necessary than ever.

Mastic Fires Chios