Firefighters in Greece gain ground against wildfires near Athens
Easing winds on the northwestern outskirts of Athens allowed firefighters in Greece to gain ground against a wildfire that had been burning for five consecutive days near the coastal village of Psatha, the fire service said. The greater Athens region has been placed under near-maximum fire risk for Wednesday, according to the civil protection ministry.
Source excerpt
Firefighters in Greece gained ground Tuesday against a wildfire burning for a fifth day on the outskirts of Athens, as easing winds allowed water-bombing aircraft back into the skies in force.
More than 30 aircraft joined 575 firefighters battling the blaze near the coastal village of Psatha, about 60 kilometres (37 miles) northwest of the capital, the fire service said.
“The situation has clearly improved compared to the last few days, but there are still many scattered hotspots, which means that forces remain on site to prevent a possible flare-up," fire department communications chief Vassilis Vathrakoyannis told AFP.
Large areas of scorched terrain still concealed active and smouldering pockets that could quickly reignite if the wind picks up again.
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