ATHENS (REUTERS/AFP)
Three people, including two Vietnamese tourists, died in Greece on Friday as ferocious winds whipped up wildfires and disrupted ferry travel for tens of thousands of summer holidaymakers
More than 200 firefighters backed by 11 water bombers and seven helicopters were battling a blaze in Keratea, southeast of Athens, Costas Tsigkas, head of the association of Greek firefighter officers, told ERT state television.
"It's a difficult fire," he said, citing gusts of wind and reporting that several communities had been evacuated.
Firefighters discovered the body of an elderly person inside their burned home in Keratea, and the wind was hampering water bombers' ability to operate, fire service spokesman Vassilis Vathrakogiannis told a press briefing.
An AFP journalist in the nearby town of Palaia Fokaia, around 45 kilometres south of Athens, saw fire consume a house and thick smoke choke the air.
Eleven planes, 12 helicopters and 170 firefighters were deployed around Keratea, 30 kilometres southwest of the capital, and residents were called to evacuate, the fire brigade said.
Much of the area has seen barely a drop of rain in months. Wind gusts of up to 80 kilometres per hour fanned the fire, setting olive tree orchards alight. Images on local media showed houses engulfed in flames.|
Firefighters discovered the body of an elderly man in a burned-out structure in Keratea, Greek Fire Brigade Spokesman Vassilis Vathrakogiannis said during a briefing.
"The fire is advancing. In some places, only aerial firefighting is possible," Yiannis Schizas, a member of the Civil Protection in the area, told SKAI TV.
"There is too much wind. It is becoming a mess," he said.
High winds are expected through the weekend and beyond.
In the touristy island of Kefalonia, in western Greece, a wildfire was out of control, burning forests and farmland, authorities and local media said.
Greece and other Mediterranean countries are in an area dubbed "a wildfire hotspot" by scientists, with blazes common during hot and dry summers. These have become more destructive in recent years due to a fast-changing climate, prompting calls for a new approach. Parched southern France is currently facing its worst wildfire in decades.
