Fires in Greece rage west of Athens, on Rhodes
Dozens of homes were gutted and hundreds forced to flee towering flames which seared through hamlets on Tuesday. Traffic was suspended for hours on two roads connecting the mainland to the Peloponnese. They were partially reopened early Wednesday.
- World
- Agencies and A News
- Published Date: 04:15 | 19 July 2023
- Modified Date: 04:16 | 19 July 2023
Greek firefighters continued on Wednesday to battle three major fire fronts for the third consecutive day, with the fire brigade unable to give the all-clear for forest fires to the west of Athens.
Five fire-fighting aircraft and eight fire-fighting helicopters had been deployed in the region since daybreak, a fire brigade spokesman said.
Further west still, near the town of Loutraki, four firefighting planes and three helicopters took to the air to fight another blaze, according to the fire service.
Northeasterly winds are expected to pick up in the region during the course of the day, making firefighting operations far more difficult and potentially rekindling the fires.
A forested area was also in flames on the island of Rhodes, a popular holiday destination. However, houses or villages were reportedly not threatened.
The forest is burning in the middle of the island near the village of Apollona and covers an area of around 30 hectares, according to the fire brigade - the equivalent of around 30 football pitches.
It has not rained in Greece for some time. Last weekend, a heatwave lasting several days intensified the drought. By the coming weekend, temperatures are expected to rise again to over 40 degrees Celsius in many places.
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