Photos: Forest fires in Greece blaze through mainland, islands

Forest fires raging on Greece's mainland near Athens for over four days have neared containment while firefighters engage blazes on the islands of Zakynthos and Kefalonia. ...read more

1 / 8

View Photos in a new improved layout

Updated on Aug 17, 2017 02:02 PM IST

Firefighters across Greece have been battling more than 146 wildfires for the last four days across the mainland, close to the capital Athens and the islands of Zakynthos and Kefalonia. The fires, fanned by high winds and the increase in temperatures during late July and August create conditions ripe for forest and brush fires. (Aris Messinis / AFP)

2 / 8

View Photos in a new improved layout

Updated on Aug 17, 2017 02:02 PM IST

A huge wildfire had erupted in Kapandriti, northeast of Athens and Kalamos on Monday in an area dotted with vacation homes. Authorities said they had finally overpowered these locations while the front of Zakynthos still needs attention. About 3,700 of forest and scrubland have been ravaged according to Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras. (Savvas Karmaniolas / AFP)

3 / 8

View Photos in a new improved layout

Updated on Aug 17, 2017 02:02 PM IST

Five firefighting planes and six water-throwing helicopters operated through Wednesday amid thick, billlowig smoke, assisting 210 firefighters and about 100 military personnel battling the blaze on the ground near the town of Kapandriti. Rugged terrain dotted with small communities and winds rekindling the blaze made fire-fighting difficult. (Giorgos Moutafis / REUTERS)

4 / 8

View Photos in a new improved layout

Updated on Aug 17, 2017 02:02 PM IST

On Zakynthos, an island popular with foreign tourists, a dozen fires burned for a fifth day. Justice Minister Stavros Kontonis stated there was no doubt the fires had been set deliberately. The fire service said an incendiary device had been found in a forest on the island of Samos on Tuesday. (Aris Messinis / AFP)

5 / 8

View Photos in a new improved layout

Updated on Aug 17, 2017 02:02 PM IST

Prime Minister Tsipras conducted aerial surveys of the scene on Wednesday and said Greece had ‘avoided the worst ... and we have to be alert.’. Greece withdrew its request for help from its European partners after conditions in Athens improved, but authorities were on alert for new outbreaks. (Ioanna Spanou / AP)

6 / 8

View Photos in a new improved layout

Updated on Aug 17, 2017 02:02 PM IST

Firemen, army personnel and volunteers work to extinguish a fire east of the Greek capital Athens on August 15, 2017. The army was called in to assist firefighters around Kalamos, setting up bulldozers as firebreaks around the area. (Aris Messinis / AFP)

7 / 8

View Photos in a new improved layout

Updated on Aug 17, 2017 02:02 PM IST

Authorities ordered a precautionary evacuation of two summer camps and homes in the Kalamos region and evacuated a monastery after flames reached its fence on Monday. Hundreds of Kalamos residents fled, heading to the beach to spend the night. (Petros Giannakouris / AP)

8 / 8

View Photos in a new improved layout

Updated on Aug 17, 2017 02:02 PM IST

The General Secretariat for Civil Protection on Tuesday declared the Ionian island of Zakynthos to be in a state of emergency at the behest of Zakynthos Mayor Pavlos Kolokotsas. More forces from mainland Greece are reported to be on their way to help subdue fires on the islands. (Aris Messinis / AFP)