Greece battles wildfires across the country, evacuates villages
On the Greek island of Evia, 128 firefighters and 29 vehicles were deployed to put out fires, assisted by six aircraft and seven helicopters, but strong winds were hampering their efforts.
Residents of the island's Triada area were evacuated while two fire trucks were damaged and five firefighters injured during the operation.
The fire on Evia is the latest in a series of bushfires stoked by strong winds and dry conditions this month.
On the island of Kythera, residents from several settlements were evacuated to safe areas and coast guard forces said they rescued 138 people, including an infant, from the beach at Limnionas near the area of the fire.
In Messinia, south of Athens, residents of the Kryoneri and Sellas villages were also told to leave.
The sites were on a list of Greek regions on high alert for wildfires due to record-breaking temperatures and strong winds due on Saturday.
In Kosovo, authorities managed to extinguish 17 blazes fuelled by strong winds while 12 others remained active, officials said. In the southern town of Prizren, a fire engulfed a farm, killing eight cows, according to local emergency services.
Local media reported a separate fire in eastern Kosovo killed around 40 sheep.
Greece and other Mediterranean countries are in an area called 'a wildfire hotspot' by scientists, with blazes common during hot and dry summers. These have become more destructive in recent years due to a fast changing climate, prompting calls for a new approach.
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