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08/24/2009

Firefighters in Greece were battling Monday to contain raging wildfires which have already destroyed hundreds of acres of olive groves and forest land. The Greek government has called on other European Union countries for reinforcements to fight the fires which have been raging since late Friday night.

The fire front has now reportedly divided itself up -- making fire-fighting operations even harder -- and is covering large parts of the islands Zakynthos, Skyros and Euboea, particularly the coastal town of Karystos, as well as Porto Germeno in the western part of Athens.

In total, 12 aircraft, eight helicopters, 136 fire engines and about 644 fire fighters are currently battling the blaze, authorities say. Around 500 soldiers were also dispatched to the fires. Two Italian aircraft have also joined fire fighting efforts and more are expected from France and Cyprus in the next few days.

Dry weather and strong winds forecast for the coming days are expected to impede police and firefighter's efforts further. "We need to fly as much as possible, before the wind picks up," the pilot of one water-dumping aircraft said on the radio. But experts from the Greek fire brigade have said that it is unlikely the wildfire will reach the center of the historic capital.

Due to the dry and windy weather and the constant changes in the wind's direction, the flames are constantly being rekindled, some shooting as high as 10 meters (33 feet) from the ground. The pine forests indigenous to the area are highly flammable too.

State of Emergency

Many local residents are suffering from breathing difficulties as black smoke and ash envelop the area and billow over the top of the Acropolis. A children's hospital and a home for the elderly have also been evacuated, and the government has declared a state of emergency for a wide arc north-east of the capital.

"The situation is difficult, very difficult," Prime Minister Kostas Karamanlis said shortly after paying a visit to the central fire station in Athens. After chairing his second emergency meeting in 24 hours, he spoke on Sunday of "facing a great ordeal," adding that "the fire department is making a superhuman effort."

"We cannot afford the luxury of sleeping for more than two hours at the moment. We're undermanned," one firemen said on local TV.

Despite police evacuation orders for 20,000 inhabitants, some are still refusing to leave their homes and are trying to tackle the flames themselves to rescue their property.

The cause of the fire is still unclear, though some reports suggest that arsonists are to blame. Local authorities say that a small forest fire that broke out on Saturday morning in northwestern Athens was underestimated.

The fire is the biggest since Greece's worst wildfires killed 65 people over 10 days in 2007.