In view of the unseasonably hot weather and the presence of high winds, the Civil Protection Service of Crete has announced a ban on open fires throughout the island which will last until 18th March. There have already been a number of fires, including one in Apokoronas on Thursday which burned 50 stremmata of forest and olives, and required the intervention of a firefighting helicopter to put it out.
Speaking on ERT News this morning (15th March), the head of the Fire Officers’ Union Kostas Tsigas said that burning waste vegetable matter is a necessary process for those who work in the countryside, but in view of the unseasonable weather conditions it is vital that the temporary ban be observed. He also reminded viewers that fields and building plots need to be cleared of dried vegetation by the start of the official no-fires season on 1st May. He added that the Fire Service recommends that when burning waste matter a margin of 10 metres is left around the fire to prevent it from spreading.