Wildfire

A wildfire has been raging for the second day in the Sakar mountain in southeastern Bulgaria.

The wildfire has spread near the village of Dripchevo and the villages surrounding the town of Harmanli, Darik radio informs.

Croatian fire fighters, volunteers and the military are trying to put out raging forest fires that are endangering the population and tourist resorts.

The biggest is blazing on the central part of the Peljesac peninsula on the southern coast, in the villages of Pijavicino, Trstenik and Zuljane.

Many untouched forests and wild animals have been negatively affected by wildfires across the country, while experts warned against new forest fires in Turkey's southern and Aegean provinces. 

Fires in the Lice and Kulp districts of the southeastern province of Diyarbak?r burned forests on July 19 and 20, though officials said they were under control on July 20 morning.  

Greek police have arrested a 58-year old Bulgarian on suspicion of accidentally starting a wildfire in the in the northeastern Athens district of Kareas, AFP reported on Saturday.

A 67-year old Greek national was also arrested on the same suspicion. The names of the two men were not disclosed.  

A wildfire broke out at 3.50 a.m. on Friday at Neapoli, Lakonia, the picturesque harbor town near the Peloponnese. Monemvasia’s Vice Mayor of Civil Protection called for the villages of Faraklo and Lahi, though he said that no houses had been harmed by the fire.

The summer season in Greece is at the outset, but daily Ta Nea reports that the country’s Fire Department is short-staffed. Several fire trucks are immobiliized due to lack of tires and spare parts. Aircraft are very old and therefore are grounded while the Department also faces shortages in basic equipment due to drastic reductions in funding.

A major wildfire, the first of the season, was reported in the Komitsa site in northern Halkidiki prefecture on Tuesday.

Twenty-three vehicles, four fire-fighting planes and 50 fire-fighters were dispatched to the scene.

The greater Athens area, particularly the working-class western districts, have been choking on toxic fumes as a result of a still smoldering fire at an abandoned recycling plant in the Aspropyrgos district, west of Athens proper.

The distinct and unpleasant smell of burnt plastic was evident in much of western Athens on Tuesday.

Two firefighters were injured on Friday while putting out a wildfire in the region of Aetolokarnania.

Details of the circumstances were not made public.

Greek authorities have partially evacuated a southern village near a major archaeological site due to a large wildfire that is being swept on by strong winds.

The fire brigade says that nine aircraft and helicopters are dropping water over the blaze that broke out Monday near Mavromati, a village of about 300 people some 200 kilometers (124 miles) southwest of Athens.