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GREECE: Fires show no sign of abating

Firefighters struggled to stop yet another Greek village from being consumed by flames in the western Peloponnese on Monday (August 27). As helicopters dropped water onto the burning forests around the village of Krestena, a massive effort was being made on the ground to form fire breaks by clearing strips around the village with tractors and felling trees. Scores of villages have now burned and firefighters seem helpless to stop the devastation even with the aid of air support. People from the village of Krestena began to evacuate their homes when the fire approached but locals were reporting that some people had not yet left their houses. Throughout Greece 63 people are known to have died in the fires in the last three days. Thousands have been made homeless and Greece's worst fires in decades continue to rage from the southern tip of the Peloponnese to the northern town of Ioannina. Meanwhile, foreign planes and helicopters attacked flames in the Greek village of Grillos as another evacuation took place. The blaze was making its way from village to village, and residents were desparate for help to escape. "Our kids are burning. our kids, our kids. Why did you leave them in the fire? Save them. Do something," pleaded one resident. Police went from door to door trying to persuade people to leave the village. Some were afraid to move on their own and waited to be rescued. The smoke became so thick that breathing and visibility were difficult. Several homes were burned as the fire inched towards the village. Residents were still trying to contain the fires with garden hoses but the blaze seemed out of control. Overwhelmed by the catastrophe, Greece's appeals for aid have brought planes from France, Spain , Italy and Russia that are helping to fight the flames. Firefighters from Cyprus, France and Israel have been rushed in and help from another 10 countries was due on Monday.

ITN Source | August 27, 2007Watch more videos from ITN Source

Tags:. .left. .took. .control. .sign. .went











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