Greece battles major wildfires amid persistent heatwave
ATHENS (AFP) Greek emergency services were battling many wildfires on Saturday afternoon as a week-long heatwave peaked with temperatures surpassing 45°C. According to firefighters, one of the most difficult fronts was around Drosopigi in northern Attica, just 30 kilometres north of Athens.Authorities called for an evacuation of the village, while according to state-run Ertnews TV, a house was already under fire in Drosopigi, as winds of 5 to 6 Beaufort raged. Authorities had warned of an extreme risk of wildfires on Saturday, placing several regions under a red Category 5 alert, the highest on the national scale, due to hot and dry conditions.A week-long heatwave in Greece that began Monday was expected to last until this Monday, according to the country's weather service. The National Observatory in Athens said the warmest temperature recorded on Friday was 45.8°C in the Peloponnese region of Messinia, while on Saturday the temperature reached 45.2°C in Amfilohia, western Greece. Some 100 firefighters were fighting the blaze around Drosopigi with 36 vehicles, two aircraft and three helicopters, according to the Athens News Agency. In the island of Evia, near Athens' Attica region, a fire was also raging out of control. Two fire engines were destroyed while two firemen were taken to the hospital with mild injuries. A wildfire that broke out shortly before 9:30 am (0630 GMT) on Saturday in an agricultural and forested area on the island of Kythera, in southern Greece, was also out of control. Strong winds are causing the fire to spread rapidly and prompting evacuations of several settlements.To reinforce local firefighters, 16 firefighters and six fire engines were shipped to Kythira.In Messinia, in the Peloponnese, a fire began at approximately 12:08 pm local time and quickly grew out of control. Currently, 84 firefighters are operating in the area, with 30 fire trucks, with aerial support from seven aircraft and two helicopters.
Large parts of Attica, Evia and the Peloponnese remain under the highest alert.
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