No rest for firefighters as blazes persist

Firefighters battled all night to control persistent wildfires on the islands of Rhodes, Evia and Corfu, as well as in Achaia in the Peloponnese, as strong winds, soaring temperatures and tinder-dry conditions continued to stoke the flames into Tuesday morning, when water-dumping aircraft joined efforts on the ground.

On Rhodes, in the southeastern Aegean, the weeklong blaze that has prompted massive evacuations, including of thousands of tourists, picked up overnight in the areas of Gennadi and Vati in the southeast, while the situation was also described as being particularly challenging in Malonas and Massari, a bit further north.

Meanwhile in southern Evia – an area that has seen more than its share of fires – residents in Platanistos and Potami were ordered to evacuate to the coastal town of Karystos at around 2 a.m. as the blaze flared up, while in Corfu there were fresh flareups in the area of Palia Peritheia, on the Ionian island’s northwestern tip.

Only in Achaia did the Fire Service report a small improvement on Tuesday night, saying that the blaze in Dervenaki was showing signs of abating.