Greece: Firefighters continue battle as adverse weather conditions ease

Firefighters are continuing to battle wildfires in a number of parts of the country Saturday morning, as the risk of fires remains high despite the gradual decline in fire-friendly weather conditions.

Throughout the night in the western Peloponnesian prefecture of Ilia, firefighters worked hard on the ground to tame a fire that until late Friday evening was raging out of control.

The fire service said the main fire fronts are located outside the villages of Latas and Prodromos.

A contingent of 154 firefighters are operating in the area, comprising six ground teams, 56 tenders, volunteers as well as earth-moving machinery and water tankers provided by local authorities. Six aircraft and a helicopter are assisting the firefighting efforts from the skies.

Friday saw 26 emergency 112 alert messages issued in eight hours. Eighteen of those messages called on residents to evacuate villages and 13 concerned the fire in Mastrantonis in Achaia.

The 55-year-old man was injured in a blaze in Ilia and died at a hospital.

The fire service also said that the situation in Megalopoli in Arcadia and Kranidi in Argolida has improved. Firefighters are now working to contain scattered outbreaks of fire and to prevent flare ups in those two Peloponnesian regions.

Wildfires have also been contained in Alpochori in Ilia, Lyrkeia in Argolida, Kefalonia, Neochori in Messinia, and Rigani in Agrinio.

While fire-friendly weather conditions are forecast to ease from Saturday, the situation will remain critical in Attica, central and southern Evia, Laconia, Argolida and Chios, the National Observatory of Athens said.

Attica, Central Greece and the Peloponnese remain at high risk of fire on Saturday.

Source: ekathimerini.com