Fire update

Since yesterday afternoon the problems with electricity supply seem to have subsided. Even my UPS was beginning to struggle as it was not getting chance to recharge between the power cuts.

Yesterday afternoon and evening Greek TV was distressing to watch. They were taking call after call from residents of the villages where the fires had reached. People were telling the presenters that the fire was outside their house, they had no water, often no power, they were trapped and begged for someone to come to help them. Sometimes TV cameras were in villages being consumed by the flames. Residents were sobbing as they watched houses burn and start to collapse, often being dragged back by friends and relatives. One old man was sitting on a bench and told the reporter, “This plastic shopping bag now contains everything I own”. Very sad, but with the death toll still climbing, he’s luckier than some.

We can only hope that the governments offer of big rewards to help catch the arsonists who set some of these fires will bring results, already a few arrests have been made.

So far the fires nearest to us do not seem to have made any significant progress in our direction. We had a heavy covering of smoke yesterday morning that cleared in the afternoon. The wind changed again around 6pm and the sun disappeared behind the smoke that is moving at high altitudes. Again this morning we have reasonably clear skies, but still able to see the blanket of smoke to the north in the Kalamata area.

For the last few days, today, Monday was getting a forecast of possible thunder showers for this area on the internet weather forecasts. Of course yesterday this changed to yet another day of sun with temperatures in the 30’s. The long range forecast is for this to be the same all of the coming week, but for next Sunday and Monday the possibility of scattered thunder storms has reappeared.