Firefighters battled the heat and suffocating smoke for a seventh consecutive day Monday on the Greek island of Evia, swept by the most destructive of the wildfires that have destroyed hundreds of homes and forced thousands to flee.
If most of nearly two weeks of fires had stabilized or receded in other parts of Greece, the ones on rugged and forested Evia were the most worrying and created apocalyptic scenes.
Greece and neighboring Turkey have been battling devastating blazes for nearly two weeks as the region suffers its worst heatwave in decades. So far, two people have been confirmed dead in Greece and eight in Turkey, while dozens have been hospitalized due to the fire.
As the sweeping wall of fire laid siege to one village after another on the north of the island, firefighters toiled until dawn to quench flames at Monokarya in order to protect the town of Istiaia, all without the help of water-dousing aircraft, ANA reported.
Around 300 people evacuated from surrounding villages spent the night on a ferry moored near the long beach. Looming in the haze offshore, a military ship awaited further evacuees.
If most of nearly two weeks of fires had stabilized or receded in other parts of Greece, the ones on rugged and forested Evia were the most worrying and created apocalyptic scenes.
Greece and neighboring Turkey have been battling devastating blazes for nearly two weeks as the region suffers its worst heatwave in decades. So far, two people have been confirmed dead in Greece and eight in Turkey, while dozens have been hospitalized due to the fire.
As the sweeping wall of fire laid siege to one village after another on the north of the island, firefighters toiled until dawn to quench flames at Monokarya in order to protect the town of Istiaia, all without the help of water-dousing aircraft, ANA reported.
Around 300 people evacuated from surrounding villages spent the night on a ferry moored near the long beach. Looming in the haze offshore, a military ship awaited further evacuees.
