24-Jul-07 - At about four in the afternoon fire broke out at the rubbish dump on the east side of Mandraki harbour on Hydra Island.

Temperatures in the low to mid forties with tinder dry undergrowth ensured that the fire got a firm grip but fortunately there wasn't a strong wind. Even more fortunately the fire headed in an easterly direction away from the inhabited areas of Mandraki and the main town was obviously not threatened.

The local children's swimming lesson started at five in the evening but by six it had become obvious that there was considerable risk so the beach and surrounding area was evacuated.

The fire-fighting service was called in and the helicopters and planes dropped water in an attempt to extinguish the fire. However by nightfall the water drop had to cease even though the fire was still raging.

As you will see from the photos it continued throughout the night with the island's volunteer firemen battling to control the fire's progress until flights could be resumed at first light. Visibility in the early hours of the 25th was obviously limited but even so judging by the number of little fires on lower reaches and the leaping flames we could see on the skyline, we can only assume that extensive damage has been done to the countryside and possibly one or two of the small properties on those hills may have been destroyed.

The scene at Mandraki was really quite frightening and we extend a big thank you to all the courageous men who battled, and probably at the time of writing, are still battling to control the fire. We sincerely hope that no one has been hurt. We will bring you updates as we find them out.