Wind, heat hamper efforts to put out fires in Attica, Peloponnese

High temperatures and strong winds on Wednesday hampered efforts by firefighters to extinguish two blazes in eastern Attica and a third in the Peloponnese but most had been at least partially contained by the evening with no reports of residential areas coming under threat.

One forest fire in Porto Rafti was curbed following a large rescue effort involving 57 firefighters manning 20 engines aided by two water-dropping helicopters.

A separate rescue effort with 30 firefighters handling 14 engines was assigned to a blaze in Koropi.

A third blaze that broke out in an agricultural area in Fournoi, Argolida, was burning into the evening, fanned by strong winds, though firefighters managed to keep it away from homes.