Greece on alert for high fire risk, wildfire in northern Peloponnese

Source: Xinhua| 2019-08-06 04:20:20|Editor: Mu Xuequan
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ATHENS, Aug. 5 (Xinhua) -- Dozens of firefighters were battling a wildfire that broke out on Monday evening in forest and agricultural land in the area of Xylokastro, a seaside town in the northern Peloponnese, Greece.

The fire began in the evening, prompting an immediate response from the fire service. A total of 41 firefighters with 19 vehicles, assisted by two aircrafts and one helicopter, were trying to contain the fire.

"The fire front is in a difficult area to reach, but I believe that the community of Elliniko will not have any problem," mayor of Xylokastro Ilias Andrikopoulos told Greek national news agency AMNA.

In the last 24 hours, Greek firemen were struggling to contain a total of 39 wildfires across Greece, including a large front in the near forest area at Louvros, a municipality of Ancient Olympia, according to the Greek Fire Brigade.

There is a very high fire risk for Tuesday for many parts of Greece, the country's civil protection service warned.

Greece suffers each summer from destructive wildfires which are linked to scorching temperatures and arson in many cases.

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