Forest Fire Damages Homes Near Athens Coast
Forest Fire Damages Homes Near Athens Coast
20 June 2008
published by www.javno.com
Athens, Greece — Six fire fighting planes, three helicopters and 26 fireengines were dispatched to the scene, as well as more than 100 firefighters.
A forest fire raged unchecked near the Greek capital on Friday, damagingholiday homes, but no injuries were reported, fire fighters said.
Scores of firefighters and six aircraft were battling the blaze, which,fanned by strong winds, was getting closer to the coastal town of Kalamos, 35 km(22 miles) northeast of Athens.
“Two homes have been damaged. It’s getting very close to other homes andunless the wind subsides, it will get worse,” said a police official, whodeclined to be named.
It was not immediately clear what caused the blaze. Six fire fighting planes,three helicopters and 26 fire engines were dispatched to the scene, as well asmore than 100 firefighters.
Last year Greece saw some of the worst forest fires in memory, caused byrecord-high temperatures, drought and arsonists.
Wildfires swept through dozens of villages in the Peloponnese, in southernGreece, during a 10-day inferno and brought the country to a state of emergency,killing 65 people and devastating the local economy.
