Massive Chios fire still burning

A wildfire that erupted in the village of Karyes on the island of Chios early Saturday was still scorching thousands of hectares for the third day in a row on Monday.

Fire fighting forces on the ground and in the air battled the blaze throughout the night to stop the front from entering the village of Pyrgi, famous for its traditionally decorated houses with special engravings on the façade and round-the-building walls, and the production of mastic as it belongs to one of the southern villages where mastic is produced.

The blaze has already burned down mastic plantations and immeasurable acres of pine trees.

In a statement on Monday, Shipping and Aegean Minister Costis Moussouroulis, elected from Chios, stressed that, "we are witnessing a major ecological, economic and social catastrophe that brings sorrow and pain to all. The state is struggling with all its forces to contain the blaze. The next step is to relieve the fire-stricken and restore the environment", amna.gr reported.

Among the burned sites are Anavatos and Avgonyma, two of the island's medieval villages. Anavatos was part of the UNESCO International Heritage.

Many other villages in the south have been evacuated.