Fires continue to rage across Greece by Kirsty McCabe
More than 60 people have now been killed by fires which have been deemed Greece’s worst in living memory. The fires began on Friday, with over 80 blazes now raging from the north of the country to the Peloponnese peninsula in the south. So far hundreds of homes have been destroyed by the flames which have consumed over 70,000 hectares of land.
Part of the fire yesterday reached the ancient ruins of Olympia in southern Greece, destroying trees and grassland just a few meters away from museum. Helicopters have been dousing Olympia with water in a bid to stop the flames from reaching the historic site. The Peloponnese region south of Olympia has been the hardest hit by the wildfires, with 39 people being killed by the flames which engulfed several villages.
Forest fires are common during Greece’s hot, dry summers, but nothing has ever matched the scale of the last three days. The Greek government has now issued a reward of up to one million euros for information leading to the arrest of the arsonist. However as strong winds continue to fuel the fire, and as new blazes break out faster than others can be controlled, it looks like fire fighter have a unprecedented battle on their hands.
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