Athens, May 21, (dpa/GNA) – Greek firefighters were battling a major blaze west of Athens for the second day in a row on Friday, with planes and helicopters deployed at first light to help crews on the ground.
The flames have scorched a wide swathe of pine forest about 60 kilometres west of the Greek capital, near the resort town of Loutraki.
Strong winds had been hampering efforts by firefighters to contain the blaze, but a fire department spokesperson told state radio early Friday “the situation is better.”
The fire crews have managed to douse a series a smaller fire as they worked to tame the main blaze, however the department noted there was still a risk some of these could flare up again.
So far, authorities estimate that some 2,000 hectares of forest and several homes in the rural area have been destroyed. Numerous villages have been evacuated since the fire broke out late Wednesday.
It is the first major fire in Greece this year. Drought conditions prevailed in the south of the country in recent days, with temperatures rising to around 30 degrees Celsius in many places.
GNA