Danger still high as forest fires ease
Improved weather conditions helped firefighters to contain blazes in different parts of Greece yesterday. However, authorities warned of a «very high» risk of fire today. A massive fire in Corinth, west of Athens, was dying down after it burnt at least 10 homes and some 2,500 hectares since it started on Tuesday. A second blaze in Diakofto, northern Peloponnese, was also partially controlled. A third fire that started at a military firing range in Malakasa, north of Athens, and spread to a nearby forest area was causing firefighters problems as abandoned explosives in the area were continually going off. Meanwhile, authorities issued a fire warning for this weekend and called on residents to avoid dangerous actions, such as burning rubbish. Firefighters in the areas of Attica, Viotia, Evia and Corinth will all be on high alert. Government spokesman Theo-doros Roussopoulos said the performance of firefighters so far this summer has been better than in previous years. «There are large-scale fires in hard-to-reach places in difficult weather conditions. They are being handled in some circumstances very quickly and in others not so quickly. In every case, the performance of firefighters has improved in comparison to the past,» he said.
