Home / Daily news channel / News | Saturday 11 February 2012 |
Tourists flee Zakynthos Island fire |
A 42-year-old man was arrested after his Zakynthos villagers reported they allegedly saw him setting fires with a lighter. The man denied the allegations.
Greek civil protection authorities warned residents and tourists to refrain from using open fires as wind and scorching temperatures created a high risk for wildfires.
AN ENVIRONMENTAL group in Greece says a weekend wildfire on the island of Zakynthos has damaged a nature reserve for protected loggerhead turtles.
The Mediterranean Association to Save Turtles says the fire destroyed about 80 hectares of the reserve, causing damage that could threaten the turtles' nesting area on the western Greek island.
Fire officials say the wildfire was contained Monday. No turtles were reported killed.
Three separate wildfires were reported on Sunday in the southern Peloponnese, with all three luckily being extinguished towards the evening hours, according to Athens News Agency.
According to the report, a massive fire-fighting effort, including dozens of vehicles, two aircraft and three helicopters, finally put out the wildfire on Sunday. It is claiming that more than 350 hectares of forest and crops have been destroyed.
Scorching hot temperatures amounting to 40 degrees Celsius have been recorded Sunday throughout Greece.
Due to the extremely high and dry weather, forest fires easily break out during the summer time in Mediterranean countries. In 2007 big fires broke out in Greece with more than 60 deaths.
