Greece continues to fight raging wildfires for 3rd day in row

By Ahmet Gencturk

ATHENS (AA) – Greece on Wednesday continued its fight against raging wildfires for the third day in a row.

The fires have broken out in the central region of Attica, which includes the capital city of Athens and the adjacent port city of Piraeus, as well as the province of Loutraki, state-run AMNA news agency reported.

The fire in Loutraki is still out of control despite constant efforts by firefighters, assisted by police and volunteers and firefighting helicopters and planes.

The wind often changes direction and constant flare-ups impede efforts to put the fire under control.

However, the firefighters were able to prevent the blaze from spreading to a major oil refinery in the area and the key Athens-Korinth highway.

Efforts are still being made to contain the wildfire at Dervenochoria area of Attica which has already gutted several houses and thousands of acres of agricultural land.

The wildfire in the Embona area in Rhodes is also out of control although it does not pose a threat to residential areas.

In a related development, Poland announced that 149 firefighters and 49 vehicles will arrive in Greece to help extinguish the wildfires.​​​​​​​