Firefighters were battling one remaining major blaze in southern
Greece yesterday, after managing to bring under control hundreds of
others that for one week ravaged large parts of the country and
killed at least 64 people.
Fears remained, however, that a new heat wave accompanied by
strong winds that were expected over the weekend could feed smaller
fires or rekindle those that smoldered around Greece.
According to the fire department, the blaze outside of
Karytaina, just west of the town of Andritsena in the southern
Peloponnese peninsula, was being fought by at least four planes and
dozens of fire trucks. At least five villages in the area were
evacuated late Wednesday.
In other parts of the Peloponnese, where 57 of the deaths were
recorded, all the fronts were contained and firefighters - backed
by more than 20 water-dropping aircraft - were extinguishing
lingering blazes.
Their success was attributed in part to lower temperatures and a
drop in the winds, which often blew with the force of a gale. But
the weather service forecast a new heatwave at the end of the
week.
In the tiny village of Kato Kotyli, 5 kilometers east of
Karytaina, a handful of residents stayed behind overnight, hosing
down their houses.
With most fires seemingly under control, the conservative
government has focused on a vast relief effort, less than three
weeks before national elections on September 16.
Thousands of people again lined up outside banks to receive
emergency aid, and the government said 7,500 people received €24
million (US$33 million) on Wednesday, the first day the funds were
handed out.
(China Daily via agencies August 31, 2007)
