Firefighters battle large blaze in Halkidiki
Thick smoke is seen on Thursday above a large fire that ravaged the Sithonia peninsula of Halkidiki in northern Greece, prompting authorities to declare a state of emergency in the village of Sarti. The fire started early on Thursday morning, apparently ignited by a tree falling on an electricity pylon. It spread quickly due to strong winds and continued to burn on Thursday night. Firefighters continued efforts to douse the blaze from the ground after aerial water drops stopped at nightfall. Although no evacuation order had been issued by late Thursday night, some residents abandoned their homes. [Sotiris Barbarousis/ANA-MPA]
