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The fire service said the fire, which killed two local residents
Sunday, is receding, with firefighting forces focusing on
putting out scattered smaller blazes within the devastated area.
According to satellite maps released by Greece's weather
service, the fire affected some 6,500 hectares (16,000 acres) of
rugged, mountainous terrain in the Corinthia area of the
Peloponnese region.
Some 570 firefighters were taking part in the operation
Wednesday, along with 160 fire trucks and 11 aircraft. These
include three from Italy and Croatia, sent after Greece
requested help from its fellow European Union members.
More than half a dozen villages were ordered evacuated as a
precaution between Sunday and Tuesday, although firefighters
were able to keep the flames at bay outside them. Several
outlying buildings have reportedly been damaged, and a historic
church in the area was gutted.
Greece, like other southern European countries, suffers from
devastating, and often deadly, forest fires every summer. This
year, a combination of climate change-related drought, high
spring temperatures and summer heatwaves has led to a record of
more than 4,500 blazes so far.
Many broke out outside the three summer months when fires are
normally expected.
The cause of the fire in Corinthia is not yet clear, although
officials say negligence is likely.
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