Athens [Greece], August 4: Wildfires burning in areas west of the Athens remained out of control on Monday, with firefighters battling two major fire fronts even as winds eased.
The crews were focusing on blazes near the hilltop village of Agios Nektarios and north-west of the town of Megara, which has a population of about 36,000, Greek media reported.
Although winds had weakened since the weekend, firefighting operations were hazardous and the wildfire risk was still very high, according to Greece's civil protection authorities.
A pilot and co-pilot were killed on Sunday when two firefighting helicopters collided during operations near Athens.Three firefighters died last week while battling the blazes in Crete and in the Peloponnese. Officials say then plan to begin assessing fire-damaged homes as soon as possible so that affected residents can receive financial assistance.
According to Greek media reports, hundreds of homes have been destroyed near Athens and around 10,000 hectares have burned.
Source: Qatar Tribune
