Forest fires forced the evacuation of four villages yesterday in Greece. Rafaella Tzima, Spokesperson of the Greek Fire Service, said that high temperatures, strong winds and dry weather triggered the fires. “Today was the first hard day of the fire season. All of Greece is now at high risk. Therefore, we may need to restrict entry to national parks and forests for a while,” Tzima said.
In the Peloponnese, nearly 200 firefighters, many municipal employees and volunteers with 2 helicopters worked throughout the night to respond to the forest fires that started yesterday afternoon. The forest fire, which started near the Portes Village in the east of the Achaia region, spread to Ileia in the south with the effect of the strong wind. Four villages were evacuated, including the settlements of Karagianeika and Dalaboureika. An investigation team was formed to investigate the suspected fire in Portes Village. The fires were brought under control in the morning.