Oraiokastro: The house where the tragedy involving two deaths unfolded reduced to ashes

The fire that broke out on Tuesday afternoon (30/6) in Derveni, in the Municipality of Oraiokastro, Thessaloniki, has turned into an unimaginable tragedy.

After the 66-year-old man was found dead outside his home near the settlement of Liti, another body was discovered inside the same house. So far it has not been identified, but everything suggests it belongs to a child, specifically the 12-year-old child of the family who had been missing after the fire. In any case, the picture will be clarified once the body is identified.

A tragic figure is the mother and wife. The 40-year-old woman is being treated in the Surgical Clinic of Hippokratio Hospital in Thessaloniki and will remain hospitalised. According to reports, she was transported to Hippokratio by ambulance and has burns, mainly on her arms, as well as on her thigh and neck, and is haemodynamically stable, with no danger to her life.

It is recalled that the fire, which broke out for reasons still unknown at around 14:30 in low vegetation, moved from Derveni towards Liti, a village of approximately 4,000 residents.

Within half an hour the fire reached Liti, covering a distance of about two to three kilometres.

The blaze expanded into the pine forest, passing through a ravine where the Fire Service could not operate, even with aerial means that were flying at the time. As a result, the unimaginable tragedy with two dead unfolded. Images from the scene reflect the scale of the destruction. From the family’s house, within the forest area on the outskirts of Liti, only burned trees and ash remain.

Photographs from the site show the house at the centre of the tragedy, surrounded by scorched vegetation. Tree trunks have been blackened by the flames, while the ground is covered in ash.

The fire spread rapidly due to strong winds.

It is noted that shortly before 4 p.m. an emergency 112 message was sent to residents of the area, urging them to remain on alert and follow the instructions of the authorities. A second 112 message followed at 4:40 p.m., calling for the evacuation of residents from the settlement of Liti towards the local sports field. “If you are in the community of Liti, move towards the Liti sports field. Follow the instructions of the authorities,” the evacuation message stated.

It is worth noting that, according to the Fire Service, the fire is nearing containment. In the firefighting effort, 115 firefighters operated on the ground, including three teams of forest commandos, 36 vehicles, and volunteers, while an additional ten aircraft and three helicopters operated intermittently. Water tankers from the Region of Central Macedonia also assisted in the operation. Throughout the operation, the Unified Coordinating Centre for Firefighting Operations and Crisis Management (ESKEDIK) received live drone footage with optical and thermal cameras.