Winds fan Arcadia front, threat lingers on Evia

A water-dropping plane trying to contain a blaze in the village of Agios Ioannis in Gortynia, Arcadia, in the Peloponnese. More than 300 firemen operating 101 fire engines were battling a kilometers-long front fanned by strong winds late Tuesday. Meanwhile, blazes were constantly rekindling in northern Evia, Greece’s second biggest island, north of Athens, where wildfires burning for more than a week have razed more than 50,000 hectares. The government said it would review the country’s fire prevention and post-fire rehabilitation blueprint in the wake of the disaster. Areas designated for reforestation will now need to be declared within 30 days after they have been burnt down, from the existing three-month deadline. [Kostas Geldis]