EU Head Sees Greek Fire Damage From Air

ATHENS, Greece (AP) — European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso toured fire-damaged southern Greece by helicopter Saturday and promised aid for areas where 64 people died and an estimated 469,000 acres of mostly forest and farmland were destroyed.

Though largely contained, fires forced the evacuation of two villages and the helicopter rescue of firefighters surrounded by flames, according to the Fire Service, which also said high temperatures and strong winds continued to plague its efforts.

"We are with you and we will stay with you ... we will do everything we can to support Greece," Barroso said after a two-hour tour of the ravaged Peloponnese peninsula with Greek Prime Minister Costas Karamanlis. "The Greek problem is a European problem. ... Now we must rebuild what has been destroyed."

On Friday, the European Union said Greece would probably receive $237 million in emergency aid and could be eligible for another $546 million. The damage is estimated at more than $1.6 billion.

Barroso said aid would be paid out of the EU's Solidarity Fund, created in 2002 to deal with major natural disasters. "We can, if necessary, mobilize other funds," he said.

All major fires in the Peloponnese and the island of Evia have been generally contained since Wednesday — after burning for a week — but firefighters continue to battle blazes that have destroyed more homes and forced village evacuations.

Saturday's worst fire was on Mount Parnon in the southern Peloponnese, where two villages were evacuated and 23 firefighters and local residents were rescued by helicopter.

"They were trapped in a rugged area, and their life was in danger. ... They were transferred safely to a sports stadium," Fire Service spokesman Nikos Diamantidis said.

Diamantidis said weather conditions were expected to worsen Saturday, with temperatures reaching 104 degrees.

"This is a particularly difficult and dangerous day, with winds set to strengthen. This combined with high temperatures requires a high degree of activity from the (Fire Service)," Diamantidis said.

The Public Power Corporation said it had restored electricity to dozens of villages, after repairing damaged power lines and installing emergency generators. About 35 villages remained blacked out, the state-run company said.

Greek Prime Minister Costas Karamanlis, left, shows aerial photographs to European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso during a flight in a rescue helicopter to inspect damage by wildfires in Greece's southern Peloponnese region, in this photograph released by the Greek prime minister's office, Saturday, Sept. 1, 2007. The European Union has promised Greece financial aid to assist Greek government efforts after fires killed 64 people and destroyed an estimated 190,000 hectares of farmland, and forest. (AP Photo/Greek Prime Minister's Office, Willy Antoniou, HO)