Firefighters battle blaze near Athens for second day

ATHEN: Hundreds of firefighters battled a deadly wildfire near Athens for a second day on Saturday, with strong winds raising fears it could spread. A fire department spokesman said more than 260 firefighters with nearly 80 fire engines and 12 aircraft were deployed near Keratea, a rural area some 43 kilometres southeast of Athens. 'The fire has weakened but there are still active pockets,' the spokesman said.
A new fire broke out close to the nearby town of Kouvaras on Saturday but was quickly brought under control. Dimitris Loukas, mayor of the nearest city of Lavrio, said the Keratea fire that broke out on Friday had devastated nearly 10,000 acres of brush and forest. 'Many homes were destroyed, in addition to other properties, agricultural and forest land,' he told state news agency ANA.
The National Observatory in Athens on Saturday said the high winds will persist until at least on Monday. Firefighters and police evacuated dozens of people late on Friday from homes and an elderly care centre as the flames neared the coastal resort of Palaia Fokaia. — AFP