At the moment, no victims have been reported, although the firefighters have not yet been able to access the tents and containers used as housing. The mayor of Moria, Yiannis Mastroyiannis, explained to the television station Sky that the flames are under control and that those who have fled their homes for the fire are in the area of Moria.

Manos Logothetis, the chief executive for the refugee camps, has explained that the eviction has been total and that the challenge now is to rehouse those who lived there. According to local media, consideration is being given to moving it to a nearby beach until a solution is found to the problem.

The European Commission (EC) will support the transfer and accommodation in the continental area of Greece of the 400 children remaining in the refugee camp following the fire, as announced by European Interior Commissioner Ylva Johansson. "The priority is the security and refuge of Moria," the commissioner said through his official Twitter account.

The fire has occurred after 35 people who tested positive for the coronavirus refused to be moved to an isolation facility, according to the mayor of Moria. According to the version compiled by EFE, since then the clashes between refugees began, some of which have caused fires, both in the enclosed enclosure and in the olive grove surrounding the area where thousands of migrants live. The strong winds have rapidly spread the flames, which have destroyed almost everything, especially the containers and tents in the area.

Thousands of people fleeing the camp

Following the start of the march of thousands of people who have fled the compound to the capital of Mitilene, 8 kilometers away, the police have blocked the entrance of the city to "avoid a health emergency", which was under quarantine due to the COVID-19 outbreak.

Forest fires caused by wind storms have also reached two other areas of the island. A total of 25 firefighters, carrying at least ten trucks, have worked to extinguish the flames both inside and outside the facility, according to the fire brigade.

Moria's installation exceeded recognized capacity on more than four occasions, and support teams have criticized for poor living conditions.

Isolated area by COVID-19

The fire occurred a week after the first case of COVID-19 appeared in Moria, and only a day after the health authorities confirmed that 35 of the 2,000 people who had contact with this patient tested positive. Among them, only one of them had symptoms.

Lesbos, located off the coast of Turkey, was at the forefront of a massive movement of refugees and migrants to Europe in 2015-2016, but the COVID-19 pandemic has quarantined all migrants arriving on the island since 1 March.

In the Moria camp, relief teams have warned that basic distancing and hygiene measures cannot be applied because of the deplorable living conditions.

Patient zero is a 40-year-old Somali who obtained refugee status and moved to Athens in August for work. Being unlucky, he decided to return to Moria, to live in a tent of the olive tree that surrounds the refugee camp.

Many humanitarian organizations have been warning for months that Moria is a powder keg about to explode because of poor health conditions, and have long been calling for the evacuation of the entire vulnerable population. Since the outbreak of the pandemic, the Government has brought more than 1,000 people to the country.