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Athens News Agency: News in English, 07-07-26
CONTENTS
[01] Greece ravaged by deadly fires
[01] Greece ravaged by deadly fires
Greece ravaged by deadly fires Two elderly people lost their lives and
one is missing in the fires that have engulfed the prefecture of Achaia
in the Peloponnese, southwest Greece and were continuing to burn on
Thursday. The charred remains of a 75-year-old man were found in the
village of Mamousia, Egio while an elderly woman was burned alive in
Ano Diakopto and a second one is missing. A total of 13 people were
taken to hospitals in Patras and Egio with respiratory problems while a
young person was hospitalized with injuries. The fires continue to
burn out of control in Egialia, Achaia where many private houses were
destroyed and hundreds of people were evacuated with the help of
military helicopters. Meanwhile, a forest fire broke out at noon on
Thursday in Porto Rafti, Athens close to residential areas and 45
firemen with 15 fire engines are battling the flames. A state of
emergency is in effect in municipalities and communities in the
prefectures of Achaia, Kefallonia and Kastoria.
Eight fire fronts are in progress on the Ionian Sea island of
Kefallonia, where many villages have been evacuated. Livestock and
private houses were burned, while a firefighting aircraft landed safely
at the Andravida airfield after suffering power loss in one of its
engines. A state of emergency is in effect in the municipalities of
Nestorio and Akrites and the communities of Arenon, Grammos and
Kastrakio in the northwestern prefecture of Kastoria. Firefighting
efforts in central and western Macedonia, north Greece, continued
overnight. The wildfire in Dorkada, Serres prefecture continues to
burn, while the fire in Langadi, Nigrita that broke out at dawn has
been placed under partial control. Another fire in Kastanousa, Serres
that also broke out at dawn has been extinguished after destroying a
few acres of farmland. In the prefecture of Kilkis, a fire that
crossed the Greek borders from FYROM on Wednesday is in progress in the
region of Idomeni-Hamilou. In the prefecture of Pieria, the fire that
burned its way to the region from Velventos, Kozani Prefecture is
destroying the Flabouro mountaintop and threatens a small village. In
Florina Prefecture, a fire is burning out of control in the
Kristalopigi region, while the same situation is being recorded in the
Lake Prespa region in the Varba-Sfika location. In Assiros,
Thessaloniki, the firefighting effort continues with 23 fire engines
and 58 firemen battling the flames in a region with low vegetation.
The Thessaloniki forests will be patrolled by the army for
precautionary reasons within the framework of the fire prevention
measures to be put into effect in the following days. In addition,
Thessaloniki's Sheik Shu urban forest will be closed for the public
from 9pm until 6am and will be guarded by police, firefighters and
volunteers. In progress are the fires on the island of Chios, in
Velventos-Kozani Prefecture, Saniada-Thesprotia Prefecture,
Amaranto-Ioannina Prefecture and in the boroughs of Zoni and Psari in
Megalopolis, southern Greece. PM calls Putin, requests reinforcements
According to an announcement from the prime minister's office,
meanwhile, Russian President Vladimir Putin has pledged to send
additional firefighting aircraft to reinforce Greece's forces for
fighting forest fires by Friday in response to a request made by Prime
Minister Costas Karamanlis, who called him seeking Russia's assistance
in tackling the forest fires blazing throughout Greece on Thursday
morning. Caption: Firefighting helicopter pours water on the fire at
Kounina near Egio on Wednesday, 25 July 2007. The fire has been burning
unchecked in Achaia despite the strenuous efforts of fire-fighters
since it began on Tuesday. ANA-MPA/Giota Korbaki.
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