Fri, May 25 2012

New warning of fire risk in Greece

Mon, Jul 27 2009 10:08 CET

byClive Leviev-Sawyer

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New warning of fire risk in Greece

Embers from a tree glow in front of burnt cars during a forest fire in the village of Aliveri, about 130km north-west of Athens, July 22 2009.
 


Greece was bracing on July 27 2009 for the risk of further wildfires as weather forecasters predicted strong winds. The country is among those that have been hard hit by wildfires in recent days.
 
On July 26, there were more than 50 wildfires in Greece, three in the southern Peloponnese.
 
Hardest hit was the island of Zakynthos, a popular tourist destination and also a breeding ground for the endangered loggerhead sea turtle, where 70 people – including local residents and foreign tourists – had to be evacuated by coast guard boats in the face of the blaze.
 
The same day, three helicopters, two aircraft and 11 firefighting vehicles were deployed to extinguish a fire at the Chrysokelaria site of the Messinia prefecture, and near the town of Koroni.
 
Between them, the July 26 fires destroyed more than 350ha of crops and forest in separate areas.
 
The past week has seen more than 300 fires in Greece, with the situation exacerbated by soaring temperatures on July 25, high winds and in some cases, local media said, arson.
 

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