Forest fires burning on Corfu and near Gytheio

Firefighters on Corfu were seeking to contain a forest fire that broke out on the Ionian island in the early afternoon on Friday.

The blaze in the island’s northeast, in the area of Barbati, was close to a residential area, regional fire service official Efthimis Georgakopoulos told the Athens-Macedonian News Agency. Strong winds hampered the efforts of firefighters.

There were also reports of a blaze in the island’s south. Meanwhile, a large fire broke out in the area of Sidirokastro, near Gytheio in the Peloponnese, too, on Friday.

A team of 50 firefighters manning 17 engines was mobilized, aided by four water-dropping aircraft.