Greek wildfire triggers explosions at military ammunition facility
July 28 (UPI) -- A wildfire triggered a series of massive explosions at an ammunition warehouse that shook southern Greece and forced the military to evacuate a fleet of F-16 fighter jets from a major air base.
The powerful blast that shook the Greek Tactical Air Force's 111 Combat Wing Thursday could be felt several miles away, and touched off panic in the coastal town of Nea Anchialos, where 133 frightened residents fled by boat after their windows shattered.
Greek coast guard vessels joined dozens of private boaters who ferried tourists and villagers to safety during a frantic evacuation before the fire was finally put out.
No casualties have been reported, but shockwaves from the blast were felt as far away as the Magnesia coast in the city of Volos, reports said.
The flames reached the weapons storage facility Thursday night at the west end of the base, about 4 miles north of the planes and runway, where the tightly packed stockpile of bombs and missiles ignited and blew up around 7:18 p.m. local time.
News reports said fire safety systems at the storage depot likely failed during the crisis due to the enormous amount of explosives stored at the depot.
Officials later expressed some concerns about flames reigniting as dry and windy conditions persist amid one of the hottest summers on record in Greece.
After dousing the massive fireball, firefighters continued to spray coolant on the blast site to knock down any remaining ammunition.
The fleet of F-16s, meanwhile, was flown to another base in Larissa.
Earlier in the day, as the fire approached, authorities managed to evacuate all personnel and seal off the perimeter before the ground-shaking explosions began.
A major winery outside Nea Anchialos was destroyed by flames the same night, but Greek authorities have not yet assessed the full extent of damage from the blast throughout the region.
Hundreds of wildfires have ravaged Greece for more than two weeks, while firefighters finally gaining an upper hand on the situation in the wake of Thursday's blast, officials said.
Earlier this week, two pilots were killed after an aircraft deployed to fight the wildfires on the Greek island of Evia crashed.
The Greek fire service said conditions have improved after three people died and another 74 were injured in recent wildfires throughout central Greece, and the islands of Rhodes and Corfu.
