Athens, July 27, (dpa/GNA) – Boosted by weeks of drought and strong winds, numerous fires have broken in central Greece, and were raging out of control on Thursday, the regional administration said.
Flames have even reached the suburbs of the large Greek port city of Volos, the state broadcaster ERT reported. Two people were reported killed. Thousands of farm and wild animals have died, the broadcaster said.
The Greek Civil Defence evacuated about 20 villages east of Volos. Fire-fighting planes and helicopters tried to extinguish the fires. Hundreds of residents are also taking part in the fight against the flames, journalists on the scene reported.
On the holiday island of Rhodes, numerous small fires continued to burn in the south-east on Thursday morning. There, too, the Greek fire brigade was fighting the flames together with volunteers and firefighters from Romania and Slovakia, the state radio reported.
Tourists are not in danger, the reports said.
Meteorologists have warned repeatedly that powerful winds occurring amid the drought are an “explosive cocktail.” Strong northerly winds overnight in south-eastern Europe, have ended almost two weeks of extreme heat in Greece, when temperatures reached 45 degrees Celsius.
On Thursday, thermometers across the country read around 35 degrees, according to the weather office.
GNA