NEWS

Firefighters battle blazes on Samos before wind picks up

Firefighters on the eastern Aegean island of Samos were on Monday trying to put out a blaze that began at around 8 a.m. in the morning before forecasted winds pick up to speeds of 7 Beaufort and hinder their efforts.

The island’s entire firefighting force was dispatched to the site of the blaze in a ravine near the village of Aghios Nektarios to the island’s east, while two water-dumping craft flew in from Athens and a helicopter from nearby Chios. Meanwhile, another small blaze was reported to have broken out later in the day on the island’s south.

While winds early in the day were not stoking the fires, which are in an inaccessible and uninhabited part of the island, there are concerns that they would pick up later and could fan the blazes.

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