A big fire broke out in Metaxata, a village on the South-East of the island of Kefalonia leading to evacuations of residents and tourists on Wednesday, September 17, 2025.

The fire broke out shortly after 3:30 in the afternoon, in the areas of Metaxata, Kalligata and Kourkoumelata in Kefalonia. There were reportedly three simultaneous outbreaks.

Strong forces of the Fire Service, units on foot, volunteers as well as water-dropping aerial means were immediately mobilized.

The efforts to contains the fire were difficult due to the strong winds blowing in the area.

Therefore, messages have been sent through the 112 emergency number, calling on residents of the villages of Korianna, Klismata, and Metaxata to evacuate toward Argostoli.

The fire was brought under control shortly before 6:00 PM, with firefighting forces to remain at the scene to deal with any resurgence.

It is worth noting that, according to the video footage in the possession of local media inkefalonia.gr, the fire broke out a few minutes after the winds strengthened, which raises serious suspicion of arson.

Some 34 firefighters with 2 ground units and 7 fire trucks, 2 firefighting airplanes and 2 water-dropping helicopters participated in the struggle to contain the blaze.