Fire breaks out at olive pomace facility storage site in Kentri near Ierapetra
Emergency crews mobilized 20 firefighters, 11 vehicles, and a specialized forestry unit on Saturday after a blaze ignited outside an olive pomace oil processing plant in Kentri, Crete.
Fire outbreak in Kentri
A fire ignited during the midday hours of Saturday, 29 August 2026, in an open storage area located outside an olive pomace oil extraction plant in Kentri. The settlement is located within the municipality of Ierapetra on the southern coast of Crete. The flames took hold in the storage grounds adjacent to the processing facility, prompting facility workers and nearby residents to alert regional emergency services.
Fire Service mobilization
The Operations Center of the Fire Service received initial notification of the fire at approximately 14:15 local time. Incident commanders deployed an initial response force of 20 firefighters to the scene, supported by 11 fire engines and operational vehicles. The deployment also included one pedestrian ground team from the 3rd Special Forestry Operations Unit (3rd EMODE) to assist with containment around the storage perimeter.
- Firefighters
- 20 units
- Fire service vehicles
- 11 units
- 3rd EMODE foot teams
- 1 units
Municipal support and heavy machinery
To ensure adequate water supplies during the response, the Fire Service notified the Municipality of Ierapetra. Municipal authorities and local government bodies (OTA) dispatched dedicated water tanker trucks to supply the firefighting lines. Local government personnel also deployed heavy project machinery and earth-moving equipment to clear buffer zones and assist ground crews in controlling the burning materials.
- Fire breaks out in storage area outside olive pomace processing facility
- Fire Service Operations Center receives notification and dispatches crews
- Municipality of Ierapetra supplies water tankers and project machinery
Extreme Category 5 fire risk conditions
The firefighting operation unfolded under severe regional fire hazard warnings. The area around Ierapetra was placed under Category 5 fire danger on Saturday, representing an extreme risk rating on the national scale. Operational difficulties were compounded by very strong winds blowing through the district, requiring ground forces and municipal machinery to remain stationed on site to suppress flare-ups.
