Greek firefighters battle to contain blaze for second day
In 2018, 102 people died in the coastal resort of Mati
21 May, 15:38"Conditions are much better (today)," fire department spokesman Vassilis Vathrakogiannis told Skai TV, adding that emergency services were "hopeful" that the fire could be contained with the contribution of water bombers. Fifteen aircraft were assisting operations on Friday. The state civil protection agency on Thursday said hundreds of people had been preventively evacuated from 17 villages and hamlets in the surrounding area, as well as from two monasteries. Around 20 square kilometres (eight square miles) of pine forest are estimated to have been razed already. Wildfires pose a challenge for Greece every year during the dry summer season, with strong winds and temperatures frequently exceeding 30 degrees Celsius (86 degrees Fahrenheit).
In 2018, 102 people died in the coastal resort of Mati, near Athens, in Greece's worst ever fire disaster. (ANSA-AFP).