Armed forces to join battle against wildfires

The Defense Ministry on Thursday is expected to announce plans to deploy the armed forces in the ongoing battle against several major wildfires tearing through forestland and villages in Evia, the Peloponnese and other parts of the country.

The decision to use the military was reached during a meeting earlier in the day hosted by Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis at the Maximos Mansion with the ministers of Defense Nikos Panagiotopoulos and State Giorgos Gerapetritis, as well as armed forces chief Konstantinos Floros, among other officials. 

Reinforcements have also been sent by Cyprus and France, while Sweden is expected to send two water-dumping aircraft on Thursday to help the Greek fire service, which has been stretched to its limits battling more than 150 fires in different parts of the country over the recent days, including a massive blaze in northern Athens on Tuesday and Wednesday, another in Evia that has been raging since Tuesday and two recent wildfires in the Peloponnese.