High risk of fires again Saturday after difficult week
Even as firefighters battled two blazes on Friday – in Ilia and Laconia, both in the Peloponnese – following a week of dozens of blazes nationwide, the General Secretariat for Civil Protection warned that the risk of wildfires on Saturday will be high, particularly in western Greece.
The secretariat issued a Level 3 (high) risk warning for the areas of Achaia, Aitoloakarnania and Ilia, which was devastated in the fatal blazes of 2007.
Residents of those areas are asked to avoid activities that could provoke a fire, such as the disposal of lit cigarettes, the burning of agricultural waste and the use of machinery or equipment that could produce sparks or fire, including outdoor grills.
On Friday, 20 firefighters and 10 fire engines were dispatched to tackle the fire in the area of Sekoula, in the municipality of Andritsaina in Ilia, with the assistance of three water-dropping aircraft.
Another 30 firefighters were sent to a fire in Dafni, in the municipality of Evrota in Laconia, aided by nine fire engines and two water-dropping aircraft.
The blazes had been partially contained by late afternoon.
