Greece battles wildfire in coastal town near capital, orders evacuations
PALAIA FOKAIA, Greece (Reuters) -Greek firefighters on Thursday battled a wildfire that reached houses near the coastal town of Palaia Fokaia, 40 km (25 miles) south of Athens, and authorities ordered evacuations of four nearby seaside hamlets.
Assisted by eight aircraft, five helicopters and 28 vehicles, 90 firefighters were deployed in the area of Palaia Fokaia and sought to put out flames that were whipped up by high winds and scorching houses.
It was not immediately clear how many people had left their homes in Palaia Fokaia.
Greek television showed a helicopter dropping water bombs as thick grey smoke rose over the region, where air temperatures soared to 38 Celsius (100 Fahrenheit) on Thursday.
Situated along Europe's hot southernmost fringe, Greece has felt the economic and environmental impact of frequent wildfires and floods in recent years that scientists say has been exacerbated by a fast-changing climate.
The country has spent hundreds of millions of euros to compensate households and farmers for damage related to extreme weather and acquire new and modern firefighting equipment to deal with wildfires, which have become harder to tame amid rising summer temperatures.
Greece has increased its number of firefighters to a record 18,000 this year in anticipation of another difficult wildfire season.
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