Homes Burned as 115 wildfires ravage Greece
Pastor Dale Morgan
Homes Burned as 115 wildfires ravage Greece *
By DEREK GATOPOULOS
The Associated Press
Thursday, July 19, 2007; 2:39 PM
ATHENS, Greece -- Wildfires burned homes Thursday and forced the
evacuations of villages, a convent and a children's camp in southern
Greece, as a heat wave swept across southeastern Europe.
Greece's Fire Service reported 115 fires in a 24-hour period as
temperatures reached 102 degrees in some spots.
Firefighters work to extinguish a forest fire in the village of
Hiliomodi, near the city of Corinth, 85 kilometers (52 miles) southwest
of Athens, on Thursday, July 19, 2007. The Fire Service reported 115
fires in the past 24 hours, as temperatures reached 39 degrees Celsius
(102 Fahrenheit) in parts of the country, amid a heat wave across the
Balkans. Villages were evacuated after a fire burning pine forest for
three days reached inhabited areas and destroyed at least 12 homes. (AP
Photo/Eurokinissi, Vangelis Bougiotis)
Residents of the Serbian capital of Belgrade suffered power cuts because
of network overheating. Croatia's government officials worked without
ties and jackets to cope with the sweltering heat.
Authorities in the Austrian capital of Vienna plan to institute a ban on
public barbecues and smoking in wooded areas beginning Friday.
In southern Greece, villages near Corinth, 52 miles southwest of Athens,
were evacuated after a fire destroyed at least 12 homes.
Twelve planes, four helicopters and 300 firefighters battled the flames,
which swept through pine and cypress forests and olive groves.
More than 300 children were safely evacuated from a summer camp, while
nuns were evacuated from two remote convents.
The fire service said a record number of forest fires have broken out in
Greece this year _ with 2,050 fires reported between June 1 and July 18,
more than doubling the number from 2006.
Greek Public Order Minister Vyron Polydoras said authorities were
examining whether some fires were started by arsonists who clear forests
for illegal development.
In Macedonia, the government declared a two-week state of emergency as
temperatures reached 105.8 degrees. Working hours were reduced from
eight to six hours, while pregnant women were granted paid leave.
Firefighters in Albania evacuated scores of residents from a village
outside the capital of Tirana as an olive grove fire threatened homes.
___
Associated Press writers in Macedonia, Albania, Serbia, Croatia,
Bulgaria and Austria contributed to this report.