IMPORTANT!!!
Please use this thread to post any info that you might have about the fire in Kassandra.
Please DO NOT post your questions here.


Greece forest fire 'under control'
www.guardian.co.uk/uklatest/story/0,,-6030689,00.html

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Nikos
Forum Admin
nikos at halkidiki.com



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 23/08/2006 08:13PM by Nikos.

Driving around it looks like there isn't much damage to the villages around the area.Most of the damage was done to the woodland that stretches inland.A few buildings on the edges of the towns were burnt.
The damaged areas don't look very pretty
Don't avoid the area if you were coming as the locals rely on you for their living.The beaches are fine and bars and places to eat are open

Brilliant thanks Roy! I will now be flying out Tomorrow morning!

At last Roy, some common sense from the area, keep posting

KRIOPIGI 'FINAL REPORT'

Thank God we are all OK !!!!.
Woodland areas from Polihrono. Hanioti, Pefkohori, Loutra, Agia Paraskevi, Kassandrino have been affected from the Fire but NOTHING happen to the villages or to the Hotels at the above areas.
The fire is under control (almost finished)!!!!.
Resorts from Polihrono. Hanioti, Pefkohori, etc are fine.
Shops, tavernas, restaurants, bars and beaches are all working as normal.

KRIOPIGI RESORT:
The area of KRIOPIGI village, beaches, including ALL HOTELS and apartments, bars, tavernas, restaurants and all kind of business are working fine, as the fire, thank God HAS NOT REACHED KRIOPIGI AT ALL!!!!

I hope that helps.

Sakis
'Akropolis' Restaurant
Kriopigi

We had to evacuate our hotel on the night of the fire as the flames were 20 yards away from us. Whilst runnng to the beach we could feel the cinders from the fire burning the back of our legs.

Now we are in a five star hotel waiting to come home.

dear sakis, so glad to hear that everyone is ok and that you are able to carry on with your business. hope to visit you again one day. lots of love juliex

Gareth why are you coming home if the fire is now out ? ?

Pefkohori suffered no damage to the village, all hotels , taverns , bars ,clubs are functioning as normal. The only damage was on the hill tops which are completely burnt.

Don't bank on flying tomorrow.

ALL British holiday companies have evacuated the peninsula.

Hanioti has for certain one hotel completly gone. People in this hotel in Thessaloniki awaiting a flight home have confirmed. People have been forced onto the other peninsula and have stayed in YMCA accomodation. I appriciate the bar and hotel owners need your custom, however I personally ( and probably 600 other people ) would advise against it at the current time esp if you have children.

The fire may be out but it is still smoking and the air is thick and a health risk and is the reason we are being sent home and not on kassandra. I have seen live reports tonight on Greek news channels and there is still a lot of smoke.

Good Luck

There are no hotels that have been burnt in Hanioti. Not even those at the outskirts of Hanioti ,near the forest. If you know one, let me know.
The air is better now in all villages, in the forest of course there is some smoke that will go with tomorrow's wind.
There are people that forced to leave Hanioti and stop their vacations. They were told that their insurance would not be valid.
There are people that continue their holidays in Hanioti and they even gave an interview saying that now there is no reason to evacuate.Did you watch them on the news today?
Noone was forced onto the other peninsula, people were paniced ,they were on the sea and the boats were taking them, Marmaras was one port were they thought they could stay for the night.
And as for the smoke, my reports say they were 26 people with breathing difficulties among the thousands of tourists that were in Kassandra the last 2 days.
And the news didn't have lives from Hanioti or Pefkohori or Polihrono WITH smoke tonight.
It is not that the bars and the hotel owners need their guests. The point is that Kassandra needs respect, It is a lovely place and in a couple of days everything will be a very bad past.
We don't need luck.
We had luck 2 days ago.
Now we need positive thinking.
I personally thank all my friends and hotel guests that send their warmest thoughts.

I think that you will find that most tour companies acted with the safety of thier guests in mind and moved them out.
Now that the situation has calmed down and the fire is under control and is out in most places they will start to bring back the ones that want to come back.
\there is no danger in the area of the towns and villages.there is some smoke from smouldering fires but it is probably better than the air in London and the smoke has almost gone.
TV and newspapers concentrate on sensational news.
You will only see some burnt areas of woodland near the towns so don't be put of from coming

Nothing would stop me from going. Arriving on Saturday and can't wait!!

Shirley

However if the cause of the fire was arson isnt there a chance it could happen again? Or has it been proved that arson wasnt at fault?

I was there just as it all started. the fire came about 20 or so minutes after this 'freak wind thing.' that blew signs, sunbeds etc over with real force. Costas and everyone at the gotel think this caused a type of reaction in the forest when combined with the heat. I dunno, but maybe this disproves the arson theory? I'm just glad that most homes and businesses have survivre.

A friend was driving to Thessalonika just before the fire started, she said at Neo Moudania the skies turned black and the wind whipped up so suddenly she thought it was a tornado, there was then heavy rain and lightning, very extreme. So maybe it was a lightning strike that caused the fire it does sound like very freaky weather.

Yes it could well have been caused by lightning I guess as when we were there a tree rather dramatically caused fire behind the Royal Kostas appartments.