Wildfires in Greece Kill At Least 74
Wildfires raging through Greek resort towns have killed at least 74 people and injured more than 140. Authorities have declared a state of emergency in areas east and west of Athens and deployed the army to help fight the blazes.
Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras has cut an overseas visit short and returned to Athens to oversee an emergency-response meeting.
"We are doing everything humanly possible to try and tackle these fires," Tsipras said. "What concerns us is that there are fires occurring simultaneously."
Athens has asked the European Union for help to fight the fires. Greece said Cyprus offered to send firefighters, while Spain offered water-dropping aircraft. BBC News reported that countries, including Italy, Germany, Poland and France, have all sent planes, vehicles and firefighters.
Temperatures of up to 40 degrees Celsius have been predicted for Greece, and authorities have warned that the risk of forest fires is high. Winds of up to 80 kph have been hampering efforts to stop the blazes.
The first fire started in a pine forest near the small town of Kineta, 50 kilometers west of Athens. Three communities were evacuated, and the blaze shut down a 20-kilometer section of a major highway.
Another fire has been blazing northeast of Athens, moving into the coastal town of Rafina. The mayor of Rafina estimated that at least 100 homes have been destroyed.
The Greek coast guard sent boats to the area to evacuate residents trapped on the beach by the flames. It was also searching for a boat reported missing that was said to be carrying Danish tourists fleeing the fires.
A local fire chief, Achilleas Tzouvaras, has appeared on state TV to ask people to leave the area after some tried to stay in their homes.
"People should leave, close up their homes and just leave. People cannot tolerate so much smoke for so many hours," he said. "This is an extreme situation."
