Some 200,000 hectares of Greek land ablaze*

BRUSSELS, Aug 28 (AFP) Aug 28, 2007

Fires in Greece which have killed more than 60 people ravaged some
200,000 hectares of land on into this week, according to data released
Tuesday by the European Union's fire information service.

The damage, recorded from August 24 to 28, brought the total amount of
land burnt in fire-prone Greece this year to 268,834 hectares (672,085
acres), the European Forest Fire Information System (EFFIS) said.

The European Commission said EFFIS data also showed that weather
conditions in the southern peninsula of Peloponnese, the area worst hit
since the fires started on Friday, were likely to improve in coming days.

"The forecasts for the coming days show that the fire risk in Greece in
general and the Peloponnese in particular will reduce," the EU's
executive body said in a statement.

The Commission said that EU contributions to help combat the blazes had
continued to come in, with Spain offering two more Canadair water
bombers while Austria had volunteered three light aircraft.

The Czech Republic, Finland, Romania and Sweden have offered helicopters.