Fire chief calls for more help to battle Corfu blaze

Authorities on the Ionian island of Corfu appealed on Thursday afternoon for more help to battle a wildfire that broke out earlier in the day in the center of the island, near the village of Myrtiotissa.

Speaking to the state-run Athens-Macedonian News Agency, the head of the Corfu fire service, Apostolos Vasdekis, said that the blaze is out of control and has already burned hundreds of hectares of forest and brush. He said there are currently seven fire trucks, several municipal water trucks and two water-dropping craft battling the blaze, but added that the force has been unable to bring the wildfire under control as strong winds are stoking the flames.

The fire, said Vasdekis, is burning on two large fronts in mostly inaccessible parts of the island’s hinterland. No residences appeared to be under the threat but the fire chief warned that the direction of the blaze could shift if it is not brought under control.