Large fires strike the Peloponnese
Dozens of firefighters grappled with forest fires across the country over the weekend, as high temperatures and strong winds fueled several blazes that caused widespread damage to land but were stopped before they could threaten homes. The worst blazes broke out in the Peloponnese, near Corinth, and near the northeastern town of Kavala. In Corinth, more than 70 firefighters battled a fire that broke out near the village of Isthmia yesterday afternoon and had managed to douse it late yesterday before it could spread to nearby homes. On Saturday, a similarly large blaze near the village of Kechries, also near Corinth, kept firemen busy and, again, was curbed before it could threaten the properties of local villagers. Firefighters were dispatched to extinguish another fire that broke out on the slopes of Mount Menalo, also in the Peloponnese, which bore the brunt of the catastrophic forest fires of summer 2007 that killed more than 70 people. The fire brigade had managed to partially control the Mt Menalo blaze by nightfall yesterday. There were also problems in the north. A blaze that broke out on forestland in the northern prefecture of Kavala yesterday was fueled by strong winds and kept firefighters busy until late. There were no major blazes in Attica over the weekend, though firefighters were called to extinguish a fire that broke out in a cemetery in the northern Athens suburb of Papagou.
