Villlagers flee fires raging outside Athens

http://www.swissinfo.ch/eng/news/international/Villagers_flee_fires_r...

By George Hatzidakis and Tatiana Fragou

ATHENS (Reuters) - Greek villagers fled their homes as hundreds of
firefighters battled forest blazes that raged near the Greek capital
Athens on Wednesday, reviving memories of last summer's deadly
wildfires.

As emergency services used planes and helicopters to bring two large
fires near Athens under control, strong winds fanned a new blaze near
the village of Markopoulo, some 40 km (25 miles) from the city of 5
million people.

Municipal authorities evacuated around 50 villagers as flames entered
the village, while many others left behind their homes and possessions
to flee.

"Things are getting worse at Markopoulo and we have reports of one or
two houses being damaged," a fire department official told Reuters.

Record temperatures last year sparked a 10-day inferno across southern
Greece which killed 65 people and triggered a state of emergency in
the Mediterranean country.

Environmental groups have accused Greece's conservative government of
failing to take sufficient steps to avoid another disaster this year.
The New Democracy party government insists it is well prepared.

Near the industrial town of Aspropyrgos, 20 kilometres (12 miles) west
of Athens, some 30 fire engines and two helicopters brought under
control a fire which had threatened to cut off one of the main road
arteries into Athens earlier on Wednesday.

At least four warehouses were damaged but no injuries were reported.

Fire officials blamed the blaze on local Roma who regularly burn off
plastic-coated cabling and tyres from rubbish tips and collect the
remaining wire and metals to sell for scrap.

Another fire, which began on Tuesday and had threatened a munitions
factory outside Inoi in the Parnitha mountains near Athens, was also
under control, fire officials said.

More than 100 separate fires were burning across the country, with
firefighters battling blazes in central and northern Greece and the
island of Andros, officials said.

(Writing by Daniel Flynn; Editing by Jon Boyle)

--
June Samaras
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