BASE BLAST
Moment Greek wildfire hit military ammunitions dump sparking huge fireball blast that turns sky blood red
THIS is the terrifying moment wildfires in central Greece reached an ammunition dump and blasted a huge fireball into the air.
Strong winds whipped the fires across the Volos region, where they triggered a series of violent explosions near to an air force base that turned the sky blood red.
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The large explosions shattered windows of homes in nearby villages and could be heard 12 miles away in the city of Volos.
The site - which had already been evacuated - was used to store explosives for Greek fighter jets and is only 4 miles north of a major military airbase in Nea Anchialos.
Greece's Airforce confirmed that F-16 fighter jets had been stored at the airfield near to the site and have been moved, but they insisted the base itself was not under an immediate threat.
By late last night, the fires at the ammunition depot had finally been put out and no injuries were reported.
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Chief Civil Defence General Konstantinos Floros said: "What happened will be thoroughly investigated. If there are responsibilities, they will be assigned. Fully."
"I want to assure you that there was no security issue for the 111th Fighter Wing itself."
The inferno continues to rip through the area of Volos-Nea Anchialos where Fire Service spokesman Ioannis Artopios said 12 villages had been ordered to evacuate.
"Despite their superhuman efforts, our forces were unable to stop the blaze," he said.
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The Volos area wildfire, he added, was the most dangerous of the 124 wildfires the fire serviced dealt with on Thursday.
Local media showed chaotic scenes of residents being evacuated by the sea, while others were quickly sent away on cars and buses.
The Volos fires have also impacted the city's supply of water and electricity, while residents have been told to stay indoors to avoid the heavy black smoke in the area.
Wildfires are raging across parts of Greece following three successive Mediterranean heat waves, which triggered a huge weekend evacuation of tourists on the island of Rhodes.
The violent blazes appeared to slow slightly yesterday after a drop in temperature.
However, the country's climate crisis minister, Vassilis Kikilias, warned: “Nothing is over, the battle will continue throughout the summer.”
As of last night, the flames still had a hold in several regions, with 61 separate fires remaining alight across the country — in Rhodes, Corfu, Evia, Athens region and now Volos.
Crete, popular with thousands of British tourists, also remains on "high alert".
The blazes across the country, which have been supercharged by strong winds and temperatures exceeding 40C have killed five, including two firefighter pilots.
Thousands of British holidaymakers have been left stranded in the burning country as a host of airlines cancelled flights for the foreseeable future.
Brits have been forced to sleep on airport floors waiting for a spot on a repatriation flight - serving as a stark warning to those who were due to travel to Greece.
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Tour operators are now shunting travellers to resorts across Spain as a consolation prize for their holiday plans that have been shattered.
The World Meteorological Organization declared on Thursday that temperatures during the first three weeks of July set a new global heat record.
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