Greece's Poor Precautions to Blame for Fires in Rhodes

ATHENS (Reuters) - Greece's failure to improve its fire fighting system after deadly blazes last year was to blame for fires that raged for days in July on the island of Rhodes, environmentalists said on Wednesday.

(Pictured at right: A dead goat lies amid charred trees after a forest fire at Laerma village in the southern part of Rhodes island July 27, 2008.)

The fires, which burned for seven days, destroyed 11,000 hectares of farmland and pristine pine forests on the Aegean holiday island despite the efforts of hundreds of fire fighters and volunteers.

The blaze forced the evacuation of scores of villagers and visitors during the high season for tourism and devastated woodlands that are home to wild fallow deer.

"Rhodes paid the price this year for the insufficiency of the country's fire protection system," the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) said in a report.

A spokesman for the Greek fire brigade, however, said weather conditions had made it difficult to contain the blaze despite the best efforts of the authorities.

"It was a very difficult fire," Giannis Kapakis, Greek fire brigade spokesman, told Reuters. "More than 12 aircraft and hundreds of firemen and volunteers battled to put the fire out."

WWF said the fire on Rhodes had burned areas that had already been torched during the last 20 years.

"This means burned young fir and pine forests will need even more years to grow back and fallow deer may risk their lives seeking food closer to people and farms," said Nikos Georgiadis, a forest expert at the Greek branch of WWF.

The branch warned in May that the country was not ready to deal with another forest fire season after enduring a state of emergency in 2007 during a 10-day inferno that killed 65 people.

The Fund had called for the creation of a specialist unit within the fire brigade, more staff, improved training and more funds for fire prevention.

Georgiadis said the local eco-system would recover if left alone but one third of the forests would need to be replanted.

(Reporting by Renee Maltezou; editing by Daniel Flynn and Tim Pearce)
Link to original article.

Protestors condemn govt over Greek fires

ATHENS (AFP) — More than a thousand people demonstrated in Athens Tuesday against the government's management of Greece's deadly forest fires, hours after firefighters scrambled to put out the latest outbreak.

The demonstration, 12 days ahead of legislative elections, was organized by the Greek Social Forum and the Confederation of Greek Workers (GSEE) against the conservative government of Prime Minister Costas Karamanlis.

Demonstrators carried banners with slogans including "Firefighters burned alive" and "Spend money on firefighters, not weapons!"

Earlier Tuesday, Greek firemen scrambled to snuff out a fire on Mount Parnon in the southern Peloponnese peninsula that has been raging for 12 days.

The blaze is part of a broader inferno in the peninsula south of Athens which killed dozens and destroyed swathes of forest and farmland, homes, farms and storehouses before being largely extinguished on Monday.

At least 65 people have been killed by fires around Greece since August 24, and 200,000 hectares (500,000 acres) of forest and other land destroyed. The body of a man was found Tuesday in the Peloponnese.

A large force of nearly 700 firefighters and more than 100 fire engines remained in the region as a precautionary measure Tuesday.

Nearly 100 fires erupted every day on an average last week, amid widespread anger that the government had not intervened rapidly and at the scale required.

The opposition Socialists (PASOK) have roundly attacked the government's handling of the fires with elections set for September 16. Before the tragedy, Karamanlis had appeared set for an easy electoral win.

The prime minister has blamed arson for at least some of the fires, saying action would be taken against those responsible.

The Greek economy ministry estimates the fires caused damage of around 1.6 billion euros (2.2 billion dollars). The European Commission has said the EU could pay up to 600 million euros in aid this year to help Greece recover.

Additional funds could be mobilized beyond the EU solidarity fund, European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso said Saturday after flying over the affected areas.

In Strasbourg meanwhile, European parliamentarians called for an EU rapid-reaction force to tackle natural disasters, echoing a proposal put forward by Athens.

The Eurodeputies, who approved the proposal through a show of hands, called on the European Commission to come up with "concrete proposals."

A man walks through the ruins of the village of Rafti in the western Peloponnese in Greece, which was almost entirely destroyed by fire. More than a thousand people demonstrated in Athens Tuesday against the government's management of Greece's deadly forest fires, hours after firefighters scrambled to put out the latest outbreak.

Greek American Wave of Solidarity

Posted by greek_news

New York.- Shaken by news of wildfires tearing through parts of their ancestral home, Greek-Americans around the country are extending a helping hand gathering money and supplies to aid victims in their motherland. Major Greek American organizations including Greek Orthodox Archdiocese, AHEPA, the Council for Hellenes Abroad and the Hellenic-American National Council have opened bank accounts to raise money for relief aid.

In response to the catastrophic fires plaguing Greece, Archbishop Demetrios, convened an emergency meeting of key advisors and staff members to mobilize the resources of the Archdiocese and greater community to respond to the tremendous needs of the people of this devastated nation. It was agreed that His Eminence would appoint a Special Committee of prominent Greek Americans who will oversee and coordinate the collection and distribution of monies raised by the Archdiocese through Her Greek Fire Relief Fund.

“We are witnessing unbelievable losses of lives and property but also of the livelihoods of countless individuals who will need assistance for many years to recover from this calamity” stated the Archbishop. “Greece, the birthplace of democracy, the place where the Olympics Games were born, the cornerstone of Western Civilization is experiencing unprecedented destruction with over 650,000 acres of forest and farmland reduced to ashes and more than 61 lives which have been lost so far. It is our sacred duty and obligation to offer whatever assistance we can at this most critical time” His Eminence reflected.

Following the meeting, the Archbishop, spoke with Mr. Andrew S. Natsios, the United States President’s Special Envoy for Sudan, who accepted to serve as Special Advisor to the Archbishop regarding the relief efforts of the Church in America. Mr. Natsios served as Director for the U.S. Agency for International Development (US Aid) which is the United States government agency that administers economic and humanitarian assistance worldwide. He has enormous experience in the area of offering philanthropic assistance and will employ his great experience and stellar reputation to assure that all funds collected for this disaster are used in the most responsible and efficient manner.

On Monday His Eminence was briefed by Mr. John Negroponte, the United States Deputy Secretary of State who updated the Archbishop about what steps the American government was taking to deal with the tragedy. His Eminence also received a call from the Ambassador of Greece to the United States, the Honorable Alexandros Mallias, in which they discussed the crisis.

A special encyclical was issued by the Eparchial Synod of the Holy Archdiocese which requested all parishes to offer special prayers on behalf of all those who have been adversely affected by this disaster and a special collection will take place in all churches for the Greek Fire Relief Fund of the Archdiocese.

Mrs. Georgia Skeadas, National Philoptochos President, announced today a donation of $50,000 as an immediate response of the Greek Orthodox Ladies Philoptochos Society to the devastating fires in Greece that have destroyed lives, homes and the livelihood of hundreds of families. The donation to the Hellenic Red Cross was presented to His Eminence Archbishop Demetrios.

President Skeadas appealed to Philoptochos members throughout the United States to offer prayers “on behalf of the deceased victims of the fires as well as prayers for the survivors, that our merciful Lord bring them comfort, strength and resolve during these tragic days of the aftermath.” She further implores the members to open their hearts, to be munificent and to give their full support to His Eminence Archbishop Demetrios’ request for a special appeal in all the parishes.

AHEPA
AHEPA held multiple meetings in order to spear-head and coordinate Greek-American relief efforts in Greece. After multiple conversations with the U.S. Department of State, AHEPA President Ike Gulas has formulated and implemented a strategy to take the lead on Greek-American's efforts in assisting Greece during this ordeal. "In times of crisis, everyone, and rightfully so, feels the desire to drop everything and assist, however, if there isn't an established point or lead, then all efforts may not see fruition," said Gulas.

President Gulas has asked all the chapters to begin putting together care packages and send them to AHEPA Headquarters for delivery to the victims. In the event constructing a care package is too time consuming or difficult at this time, please send a check in the amount of $150 to AHEPA Headquarters, and we will do so on your chapter's or individual's behalf.

Moreover, Ambassador Alexandros Mallias, Greece's Ambassador to the U.S., visited last week AHEPA Headquarters and expressed the need of continued immediate and long-term assistance. The situation was described as being the "worst natural disaster" Greece has ever faced. Mallias also thanked AHEPA for its eagerness, willingness and determination to assist.

Via teleconference, President Gulas reiterated AHEPA's commitment to assisting the ongoing effort. Mr. Gulas also informed the Ambassador of its plan of soliciting the assistance of all firefighters willing to travel to Greece in order to fight the fires. "At present, we are working out the logistics, with the U.S. Department of State's guidance, to arrange transportation from the U.S. to Greece," added Gulas.

SAE
With a $50,000 personal donation to the project “Plant Your Roots in Greece,” aimed at victim relief and Greece’s reforestation, the Coordinator of SAE / USA Theodore G. Spyropoulos helped set the pace encouraging the Omogeneia to contribute for the restoration of Greece’s devastated ecosystem. Additional support began pouring in including a $5,000 donation from “Mistras Group Inc.” a company owned by Dr. Soterios and Aspasia Vahaviolos.

More than $32,000 was donated by Chicago's Greek community during a radiothon over Sotiris Rekoumis' Greek Hour Friday morning. The drive was organized by SAE / USA and the funds are contributed through the project Plant Your Roots in Greece.

“The mobilization of America’s Hellenes is immediate and heart rending,” Mr. Spyropoulos said. “It is particularly satisfying to witness the response of the younger generations who are contributing financially and are also forming volunteer groups. There is no doubt in my mind that Greece will resurrect its ecosystem out of the ashes.”

The first Pan American meeting for relief to the victims of the fires and reforestation in Greece was held Tuesday night in a teleconference organized by the World Council of Hellenes SAE / USA and the Hellenic American National Council. The President of AHEPA Mr. Ike Gulas, presidents of Federations-members of SAE and HANC and other donors and volunteers participated in the teleconference.

“The joint teleconference was phenomenal success and showed the value of unity and cooperation among HANC, SAE and AHEPA” says the president of Hellenic American National Council Mr. E. Velivasakis.

A telethon to raise funds on the East Coast was also announced at the meeting by SAE / USA Coordinator Theodore G. Spyropoulos. “The Hellenic media have been very supportive and we are grateful to all of them as they have carried accurate information and have covered our efforts,” he said. “On September 9 we will hold the first telethon on the National Hellenic Channel of America (NGTV) of Dimitri Kastanas, to raise relief and reforestation funds.” The telethon will be held from 2 p.m. to midnight.

In the near future, after total losses from the fires are assessed and major needs are identified, SAE / USA will call a Pan American meeting of leaders, major donors and distinguished Hellenes and phil-Hellenes to meet with Greek Ambassador Alexandros Mallias in Washington, Mr. Spyropoulos stated. “The meeting will aim to accurately inform America’s Hellenes.

“We are already in close contact with the Ambassador, our member organizations, the President of HANC Manolis Velivasakis, Greece’s national television network and various radio and television programs here and in Greece.

On Tuesday, September 4, 2007, the board of the American Hellenic Congress in conjunction with the World Council for Hellenes Abroad (SAE) is organizing a meeting of concerned citizens to explore ways of coordination to help our beloved Greece. The meeting will be held at 7:30 p.m. in the Banquet Hall of Dimitri’s on the Avenue (formerly the City Tavern) at 14316 Michigan Avenue, Dearborn (between Greenfield and Schaefer) (313-584-1515).

“Plant Your Roots in Greece,” a not-for-profit, tax exempt organization under the auspices of SAE / USA and HANC, offers contribution opportunities both to those who wish to support primarily victims of fire and those who wish to contribute to reforestation.

Depending on individual preference, donors to the relief and reforestation campaign can mail their checks to Chicago Community Bank, 234 S. Wabash Ave. FL2, Chicago, Illinois 60604-2365.

Mail checks to Chicago Community Bank, 234 S. Wabash Ave. FL2, Chicago, Illinois 60604-2365.

Make checks Payable to one of two accounts according to preference:
Plant Your Roots in Greece, Acct. # 459-0070-59, for reforestation. Or,
Plant Your Roots in Greece, Acct. # 2000-0394-84, for relief.
IBAN: 07004158

Anti-flooding measures; new threat caused by fires

ATHENS, Greece: Fears grew Tuesday that flooding could hit charred regions of Greece ravaged by 11 days of devastating forest fires that have left thousands homeless and villages destroyed.

Prime Minister Costas Karamanlis was to meet cabinet members in Athens Tuesday to decide additional relief measures.

Anti-flooding works were to start Tuesday on the central island of Evia after projects began Monday in the Peloponnese, to the south, concentrated around Ancient Olympia. The archaeological site survived the fires but the surrounding region was badly scorched.

They were the two regions worst hit by fires that burned up to a half-million acres of forest and farmland.

Fires were reported late Monday near Preveza, in west-central Greece, and near Epidaurus to the south. While major fires were all but out, fire officials warned that smoldering embers could easily re-ignite.

Meteorologists were predicting rain for northern and western Greece Tuesday, spreading south by Wednesday. While hopeful of wetter weather, they also feared downpours could cause flooding in fire-ravaged areas. Parts of northern Greece were hit by heavy rains and flooding on Sunday.

The wildfires in Greece also drew the attention of the European Union Monday.

In Strasbourg, France, members of the European Parliament criticized the Greek government's response to the fires and blamed land speculation and mass tourism for the devastation.

"Legal loopholes are in part responsible for these horrible fires. Property speculation must be rejected," said German Green lawmaker Elisabeth Schroedter.

MEPs called for a more efficient and coordinated fire-prevention system in Greece. The debate came as Greek Foreign Minister Dora Bakoyannis was appealing in Brussels for a more coordinated, EU-wide response mechanism for natural disasters.

Late Monday Petros Molyviatis, a former foreign minister heading up a special fire emergency fund, said Greeks had donated around €62 million euros (US$84.4 million) so far.

The government also announced Monday that more than 45,000 people suffering fire damage had received more than €165 million (US$224 million) from a compensation program launched last week, and that more than 200 people had returned funds they were not entitled to.

Archbishop Christodoulos, the head of the Orthodox Church in Greece and who is in the U.S. receiving cancer treatment, said Monday he believed arson was to blame for many of the fires.

Greek forest fires continue to burn

Forest fires continued to burn in parts of southern Greece while the other main fronts of a series of massive fires have been extinguished, Greece's fire service said.

Fires on Mt Parnon and Mt Taygetos, in the south-eastern Peloponnese, were still burning as strong winds and dry conditions kept fire officials on high alert. Fire Department spokesman Nikos Diamandis said major fires in three other provinces of the Peloponnese had been put out.

The official death toll rose to 65 on Sunday when a seriously burned man on the island of Evia died in a hospital.

Meanwhile the government announced that urgent flood-control measures would be implemented in fire-devastated regions, mainly in the Peloponnese and on the island of Evia, and that prefabricated houses were being distributed by truck to the worst-hit areas.

After months of successive heat waves and no rain, heavy rainstorms have flooded parts of northern Greece. Rain and cooler weather were expected to move south early this week, helping firefighters in their efforts to extinguish any remaining blazes and prevent the possibility of smouldering fires rekindling. However, officials also fear that heavy rains could hamper relief efforts and lead to flooding.

Over a 10-day period, an estimated 4,000 people saw their homes destroyed by the wildfires, which also charred an estimated 469,000 acres of mostly forest and farmland and ravaged the area around the world heritage site of Ancient Olympia.

The fires have prompted a massive relief effort, although Greece's conservative government has faced strong public criticism for its allegedly slow response to the crisis. The public has also responded with massive donations of clothes, food and money.

Conservative Prime Minister Costas Karamanlis, who faces general elections on September 16, was in the southern town of Tripolis as he continued to survey fire-damaged areas, as did other political party leaders.

The area around Artemida has been badly burnt by the fires

Last Main Greece Fire Is Contained

By DEREK GATOPOULOS
The Associated Press

ATHENS, Greece -- The last major fire in southern Greece has been brought under control after flaring up again over the weekend, fire officials said Sunday.

Officials also said two other big fires were completely extinguished, leaving only minor fires smoldering in the area.

The blazes had been largely contained for several days but firefighters struggled to prevent them from rekindling and causing more damage. Two villages were evacuated and 23 people were rescued by helicopter Saturday after one fire restarted in Greece's southern Peloponnese region.

Nine firefighting planes and two helicopters helped contain that blaze on Mount Parnon Sunday. Two other fires outside the towns of Megalopoli and Karytaina were out.

Meanwhile, rain was reported across much of northern Greece, with flooding on the Halkidiki peninsula, but it had not reached any areas affected by fires.

Fires have destroyed an estimated 469,000 acres of mostly forest and farmland over the past 10 days, prompting a massive relief effort but also criticism of Greece's government for allegedly responding to the crisis slowly and failing to safely evacuate villages before they were burned.

The death toll rose to 65 Sunday after a man seriously burned in a fire on the island of Evia died in a hospital.

Also Sunday, funeral services were held for a mother and her four children who were killed outside the southern village of Artemida while trying to flee the fires by car on Aug. 24. Four other people also died in the same convoy of cars when it became trapped in flames.

Authorities have not released any damage assessment, but an estimated 4,000 people lost their homes, according to independent estimates based on claims for assistance by individuals and local authorities.

A man herds sheep away from a fire in the village of Kiparissia about 230 kilometers (158 miles) southwest of Athens, Saturday, Sept. 1, 2007. European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso toured fire damaged areas in southern Greece by helicopter, and promised aid to relieve areas where 64 people died and an estimated 190,000 hectares (469,000 acres) of mostly forest and farmland were destroyed. (AP Photo/Petros Giannakouris)


Information gathered from:
http://www.washingtonpost.com/w...

Main fires out; death toll rises to 65

The Associated Press Published: September 2, 2007


ATHENS, Greece: Three major fires that ravaged southern Greece for 10 days have been put out or brought under control, the Fire Service said Sunday.

The fires destroyed an estimated 190,000 hectares (469,000 acres) — most of it forest and farmland — prompting a massive relief effort but also criticism of Greece's conservative government for failing to safely evacuate villages before they were burned.

The death toll rose to 65 on Sunday when a man seriously burned in a fire on the island of Evia died in a hospital.

Authorities have not released any damage assessment, but an estimated 4,000 people lost their homes according to independent estimates based on claims for assistance by individuals and local authorities.

A Fire Service briefing report Sunday confirmed that two major fires were out and one in the southern Peloponnese region was contained.

Fires outside Megalopoli and Karytaina in the southern Peloponnese region were extinguished, the fire service said, while nine fighting planes and two helicopters had helped contain a blaze on Mount Parnon, further south.



Elsewhere in the region, six planes and four helicopters were involved in containing several other fires, all of which were described as "receding," the agency said.

Public Order Minister Vyron Polydoras said on Sunday, "I am in the happy position to announce ... that all the (main) fires have been put out."

Conservative Prime Minister Costas Karamanlis, who faces general elections on Sept. 16, continued to survey fire-damaged areas, flying by helicopter over the island of Evia.

On Saturday, he flew over the Peloponnese with European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso, who repeated European Union promises to provide Greece financial aid — likely to include €200 million (US$237 million) in emergency assistance and possibly a further €400 million (US$546 million) later.

"No one can remain the same after such events," Karamanlis was quoted as saying in an interview published Sunday in the Athens daily Kathimerini. He blamed the fires on arsonists.

"So many fires breaking out at the same time in different places. This cannot be a coincidence," Karamanlis said, reiterating his comments of last week.

A GPO poll for private Mega television gave the conservatives 37.4 percent approval, a 1.4 point lead over the opposition Socialists, based on a survey of 1,005 people questioned Friday. No margin of error was given. The conservatives won the 2004 elections with a 4.8-point advantage.

Greece buries fire victims, hopes for autumn rain

By Michele Kambas

ARTEMIDA, Greece (Reuters) - Sobbing villagers on Sunday buried a Greek mother and her four children who died in destructive forest fires, as the first autumn rains raised hopes of dousing the flames that have killed 64 people.

Storms in northern Greece flooded two villages as firefighters continued to battle blazes in the southern Peloponnese region. Rains were expected across Greece from Sunday night.

"The burnt forests contributed to the floods, which swept cars into the sea," said fire brigade officer Giorgos Minos in the northern Halkidiki peninsula.

In the village of Artemida, perched on a charred Peloponnese mountain, about 200 villagers attended the funeral of the mother found dead still clutching her children, the most shocking image of the inferno's trail of destruction.

"I have run out of tears. Will it bring her and the children back?" said Loukia Papadimitropoulos, 64, one of black-clad villagers who sobbed as a string of hearses carried the white coffins to the village church.

The fires have raged for 10 days, forcing thousands to flee their homes, burning villages and large swathes of forest. On Sunday, an injured man died in hospital, raising the death toll to 64, including 7 firemen.

Fires under control except Mount Parnon

ATHENS (AFP) — A fire raged in Mount Parnon near the Greek town of Sparta for a ninth day Sunday but other blazes in the devastated Mediterranean country were under control, the fire services said.

Four water-bombing planes and a helicopter were deployed early Sunday to battle the blames around Mount Parnon but no villages were threatened, a spokesman for the fire service said.

"This day will be difficult again because we expect strong winds in the country's west, including the Peloponnese," he said but underlined that temperatures were expected to be lower in the Athens region.

The Peloponnese inferno started on August 24 in the wake of a heatwave, the third to hit Greece since the beginning of the summer. The fires have claimed at least 63 lives and destroyed 200,000 hectares (494,000 acres) of forests and farmland.

Greece was plunged into a national disaster as villages were consumed by flames that moved faster than a car and people were burned to death as they attempted to escape.

Two other planes and three helicopters were meanwhile dispatched Sunday to fight fires in the ancient town of Megalopolis and Karytaina in the central region of Arcadia and nearby Messenia, he said.

The official said three other fires which broke out nine days ago in the island of Eubee were still burning but under "partial control."

Two other blazes in Ionnina and Kilkis had been contained but a new one that broke out on Saturday in the northern prefecture of Imathia would be put under control later in the day, he added.

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)

Strong winds cause more fires in Greece

Saturday, 1 September 2007 17:40

Strong winds are reported to have reinvigorated forest fires in parts of Greece.

Authorities say winds and high temperatures have led to new fires breaking out.

More than a week after the start of blazes that have ravaged land across the country, killing at least 63 people and forcing thousands from their homes, two fire fronts are still burning on the southern Peloponnese Peninsula.

A helicopter has rescued five firefighters and 17 civilians who had been fighting a blaze in the Parnonas mountain region.

It is expected that it will take several days to bring the fires under control.

Temperatures rising to 40C and strong winds are hindering the battle against the fires.

Prime Minister Costas Karamanlis toured the devastated areas today with European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso.

Estimates of damage to the economy range from €1.2bn to €4bn.

The Commission has said it could provide up to €200m from the EU 'solidarity fund'.

The Greek opposition socialist PASOK party has slammed Mr Karamanlis's handling of the disaster.

Many villages had to face the fires without help for several days.

But the Prime Minister, who said arsonists were to blame, has called for national unity. His administration has doled out at least €107m in compensation so far.

The last opinion polls showed his ruling New Democracy party keeping around a two percentage point lead over PASOK but support for both parties has waned since the fires began.

A general election will be held on 16 September.

Information gathered from:

http://www.rte.ie/news/2007/0901/greece.html

Greek Fires Destroy Olive Trees, Cutting Olive Oil Production

By Marianne Stigset

Aug. 31 (Bloomberg) -- Greece's worst forest fires in history may have destroyed as many as 5 million olive trees, cutting production in the world's third-largest olive oil supplier and threatening to reduce output for years, an industry group said.

As much as 5 percent of this year's harvest may be lost, according to the group, Sevitel. A week of fires has killed at least 63 people and ravaged about 250,000 acres (101,200 hectares) of forest and farmland, Greenpeace Greece estimated. The Peloponnese peninsula, which generates 30 percent to 40 percent of the country's 9 billion-euro ($12.3 billion) olive oil market, is the worst affected.

The damage may reduce output to 285,000 metric tons and will devastate the economies of Peloponnese villages, which on average get as much as 60 percent of their income from olive farming, according to Sevitel, an association of producers and processors. Olive trees, which were cultivated by the Minoans of ancient Crete in 3500 B.C., can take 15 years to reach optimal production, the organization said.

``It's the first time in the history of this country that we have such an environmental disaster,'' Nikos Charalambides, director of Greenpeace Greece, said in a phone interview from Athens yesterday. ``Hundreds of people have lost their farmland, their animals. The olive trees will need years to grow.''

It may take a decade for people living off olive farming in the stricken areas to get their earnings back to prior levels, Gregory Antoniadis, the president of Sevitel and spokesman for Elais-Unilever SA, a Greek olive oil exporter, said from Athens.

Homes, Jobs

At least 2,500 people have been left homeless by the fires, which may lead to labor shortages and loss of expertise in the industry, Charalambides said.

More than 250 blazes have spread across central and southern Greece since Aug. 24, requiring the biggest firefighting operation in Europe since World War II. Early estimates set the cost of damage to farmland at 1.5 billion euros, Greek newspaper Express reported this week, citing unidentified government officials. Greece has experienced more wildfires this month than any European country in the past decade, according to the European Space Agency.

Greece, the largest olive oil producer after Spain and Italy, accounts for 13 percent of the global market, according to Rabobank Groep, the world's biggest farm lender. The country produces on average 300,000 tons a year, Antoniadis said. A 5 percent output cut would represent a loss of about 45 million euros, at current prices.

Spain Key

The drop in Greek production is unlikely to affect prices because of rising output in Spain and Italy this year, Rabobank said.

``What's really important is what happens in Spain, the world's top producer,'' Vito Martielli, a food and agribusiness analyst with Rabobank, said by phone from Utrecht, the Netherlands, on Aug. 29. ``Olives have a biannual production cycle and this year, production in Italy and Spain will be very high.''

Production increases in Spain and Italy would more than offset any decline in Greece, helping lift global output potentially by as much as 7.1 percent to about 3 million tons in the next season, which runs from November to March, Martielli said. That would be the highest since 2003-2004, he said.

Prices have dropped about 25 percent to 3 euros a kilogram since 2005-2006, when frost hit the main producing countries, according to Martielli.

Spain produced an estimated 1.1 million tons this season, 39 percent of the market, followed by Italy, which produced 630,000 tons, according to Rabobank. Greece produced 370,000 tons, more than half of which was exported to Italy, the world's biggest consumer.

To contact the reporter on this story: Marianne Stigset in London at mstigset@bloomberg.net

All Major Blazes Under Control

(08-31) 07:47 PDT ATHENS, Greece (AP) --

All major blazes in Greece were under control Friday, and firefighters were working to extinguish smaller fires in the southern part of the country.

One week after hundreds of wildfires broke out across Greece, killing 64 people and costing the country at least $1.6 billion, the fire department said the last major fire near the town of Kato Kotyli "no longer has an active front and is receding."

But it warned in an announcement that just because "we are in a phase where fires are receding, that does not mean that the danger has been eliminated."

Meanwhile, thousands of people lined up outside banks for a third day to receive emergency aid, and the government said 20,000 people received a total of $98 million since banks started to hand out the funds Wednesday.

But officials said they would tighten checks on the fast-track aid process after at least 15 people were arrested in the southwestern city of Pyrgos for allegedly making false claims.

Initial government estimates indicate at least 1,500 homes were gutted in the southern Peloponnese peninsula and on the island of Evia, just north of Athens. But there are concerns that figure could double. At least 4,000 people were left homeless, but that number also could double.

Prime Minister Costas Karamanlis, who faces a close race for re-election in less than three weeks, promised to rebuild all homes destroyed by the fires through a new disaster relief fund made up of state and private contributions. He said homeless families would initially be provided with prefabricated homes.

Karamanlis did not say how much that would cost.

The European Commissioner for Regional Policy, Danuta Hubner, flew over the burned regions Friday to assess how much aid Greece needed. She said after meeting Karamanlis that Greece would probably receive $237 million in emergency aid and could be eligible for another $546 million, depending on the damage caused by the fires.

"The European Commission is determined to explore all possible means of support and assure the mobilization of available funds in order to help," she said.

A help line set up for fire victims and offers of help has received tens of thousands of calls, mostly from people who want to contribute aid. Government spokesman Theodoros Roussopoulos said private donations from Greeks has amounted to more than $52 million. The government has so far budgeted around $450 million for such aid.

The fires are dominating political debate before the Sept. 16 elections. Criticism that the government failed to respond quickly enough — and its suggestions the fires resulted from an organized attack — could hurt Karamanlis.

A series of polls have indicated that the conservatives had a razor-thin margin over George Papandreou's main opposition Socialist Party.

Greeks Crowd Into Banks, Seeking Cash After Fires

By REUTERS

PYRGOS, Greece, Aug. 30 (Reuters) — Thousands of Greeks besieged banks on Thursday, clamoring for state compensation for damage caused by the country’s worst wildfires, a few of which still burned one week into the crisis.

People were taking advantage of a program granting them an instant $4,000 by showing identification and signing a form at banks in affected areas, a simple procedure the government says shows that it is reacting quickly to the fires, which have killed 63 people.

Critics who condemned the center-right government for what they called its initial inability to prevent or extinguish the fires said its compensation system, instituted less than three weeks ahead of parliamentary elections, was open to widespread fraud.

“Who are all these people?” asked Ourania Fotopoulou, as at least 400 people lined up outside a bank here, a provincial capital in the stricken Peloponnesian peninsula. “I don’t recognize a single one of them and I have lived here all my life.”

Many people in the lines spoke with accents from outside the region, and some admitted that they had come from as far away as Athens and Thessaloniki, which is about 370 miles to the north.

A government spokesman said that the forms would be checked later and that anyone committing fraud would be punished. On Wednesday alone, banks handed over more than $33 million.

Prime Minister Kostas Karamanlis said the simplified system was the right thing. “The order is ‘move fast,’ without any delay,” he said at a news briefing. “We’re removing bureaucratic hurdles. Nothing should stand in the way of us doing our duty.”

The government’s handling of the crisis has become a central issue for Mr. Karamanlis’s campaign as the Sept. 16 election approaches. Kathimerini, a center-right newspaper, said he needed to recover from initial impotence in the face of the fires.

“The first round, that is the fight against the fires, was lost because of the poor performance of the state apparatus,” it said. “The second round, that of reconstruction, has only just begun. It will be an uphill struggle within a tight time frame.” A cartoon in the newspaper showed a helicopter flying over scorched countryside dropping bank notes from a water bucket while the pilot says, “Yes, Prime Minister, as agreed, we’re dropping 100-euro bills so the land will turn green again.”

Vast areas of countryside burned, and more than 500 homes were destroyed by the fires, Europe’s most extensive in a decade, according to the European Space Agency.

On Thursday, some fires raged on, one in the western Peloponnesian peninsula, another on the island of Euboea, north of Athens.

The fires will cost Greece at least $1.6 billion, according to a government minister, and Athens plans to use emergency aid from the European Union. Private citizens have already donated almost $52 million to a disaster relief fund.

This information was gathered from:

http://www.nytimes.com/2007/0...

Seven charged over Greek fires

Greek authorities have charged seven people with starting a number of forest fires that have so far claimed 63 lives.

Anti-terrorist authorities said they were joining the investigation, and it is thought one possible motive could be that unscrupulous property developers were hoping to move in on the areas where forest has been destroyed.

This comes as firefighters backed by an international force battled the flames for a fifth day.

Meanwhile, Greek opposition MPs have attacked the government's response to the devastating fires.

In the capital, Athens, hundreds of people took to the streets in protest, many blaming the government.

Information gathered from: http://www.rte.ie/news/2007/0828/greece.html

Fires in Greece Pictures 2007

UPDATE:
Wednesday October 10th, 2007


Residents trying to extinguish a burning house in the village of Smerna. Some of the raging fires, spread by dry winds, have been blamed on arsonists. In Areopolis, a town in the southern Peloponnese, a 65-year-old man was arrested and charged with arson and multiple counts of homicide in a fire that killed six people.

The winged statue of victory stands in front of smoke from fires in the village of ancient Olympia, near the birthplace of the Olympic games, in south-west Greece. A huge effort by firefighters, water-dropping aircraft and fire trucks succeeded in keeping a raging blaze away from the 2,800-year-old site - the holiest sanctuary in ancient Greece

Fire approaches houses at the village of Kalyvia, south of Athens

Men using a tractor try to extinguish a fire near ancient Olympia

A helicopter drops water in the forest over the Pelopio village near ancient Olympia

A man leaves the burning village near ancient Olympia

UPDATE:
Wednesday September 19th, 2007

2 / 10

Greek soldiers evacuate an old man from a village near ancient Olympia

UPDATE:
Wednesday September 5th, 2007

mountains over ancient Olympia

Firefighters saved the temples and stadiums of ancient Olympia, birthplace of the Olympic Games, from forest fires that razed nearby villages and claimed the life of 60 people.

Building on forest land is forbidden in Greece, but unscrupulous developers are blamed for setting the fires in an effort to circumvent the law by disputing the area’s status. Greece has no land registry, so once a region has been burned and cleared, there is no definitive proof of whether it was initially forest, farm or field.

Tuesday September 4th, 2007

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Many parts of Greece have been struggling to cope with devastating fires that have killed more than 50 people.

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Farmers have seen their crops - and livelihoods - burning ferociously.

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Fires are affecting the capital, Athens, too. This picture of the Athens sky was sent to the BBC by Ava Babili.

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Konstantinos Topalidis also took pictures in the Greek capital. "It feels like snowing ashes and it is quite smoky," he says.

Monday September 3nd, 2007

BBC News website readers have sent in their photos of the fires in Greece. This one, from Aris Vidalis, shows how Athens looked on Saturday.

Dimitris Koukoulakis sent this photo from the village of Kalamos, north of Athens, overlooking the fires at Evia. Later the view disappeared as the smoke got thicker

"On Sunday we went to the sea for a swim. The sea was a different colour because of the countless pieces of coal and ash in it," said Mr Koukoulakis.

Moses Altsech, who sent this photo of fires in an affluent suburb of Athens, says that the government was not well prepared for the disaster.

"I went to the roof of my house to take pictures of the smoke in the sky. Everything was covered in ash," said Nassis Sarris, who took this picture.

Spyros Papanastasiou was observing a fire spreading quickly on one side of the road, when he noticed that another one started in the opposite direction."

"I was on the way to Gythio which is near Areopolis and I was standing beside the road just outside Oitilo," said Constantinos Vergos, who took this photo.

The sun set beneath a wall of smoke from the many fires around Athens. (Photo: Philip M Evans)

UPDATE:
Sunday September 2nd, 2007


The fires have covered Athens in white ash, forced thousands to flee their villages...


... and burned about 500 homes



But there will be enormous relief that the fires have not engulfed the Olympic museum, housing a number of famous classical sculptures such as Hermes by Praxiteles and other finds from the ruins of the temples and sports facilities.



Fire brigades evacuated hundreds of villages on the southern Peloponnese peninsula


Fires clearly visible from space

Firefighters managed to save the site of ancient Olympia - birthplace of the Olympics

Several EU countries have sent their own firefighers and equipment to help battle the country's worst forest fires in decades.


Firefighters are continuing to battle forest fires raging across southern Greece

In Athens, too, major fires encroached on the city, and aircraft were called in to help dampen the flames.

Fire services were stretched to the limit. Helicopters tried to douse the flames in the Peloponnese region, but high winds hampered the use of planes.

Dozens of people were caught up in the advancing flames, in their homes, or as they tried to flee in cars or on foot.

At dawn near Zaharo, in western Greece, forest fires continued to burn ferociously after a prolonged heatwave and drought. The daylight would bring horror to the town.

Smoke rose behind a beach last week on the Peloponnesian peninsula in Greece. With a barrage of deadly fires mostly extinguished or contained, tourists are returning.



A Canadair firefighting airplane sprays water over a fire in the village of Kyparissia on the Peloponnese peninsula. European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso pledged EU support for Greece here Saturday as firefighters tackled the remains of an eight-day inferno that has killed at least 63 people

This picture released by the Greek Prime Minister's Office shows Greek Prime Minister Costas Karamanlis(R) bidding farewell to President of the European Commission Jose Manuel Barroso after their meeting in Athens. Barroso pledged EU support for Greece here Saturday as firefighters tackled the remains of an eight-day inferno that has killed at least 63 people

Firefighters battle blaze on the outskirts of Karytena on the Peloponnese peninsula. European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso pledged EU support for Greece here Saturday as firefighters tackled the remains of an eight-day inferno that has killed at least 63 people.

Firefighters battle blaze on the outskirts of Karytena on the Peloponnese peninsula, 01 September. A fire raged in Mount Parnon near the Greek town of Sparta for a ninth day Sunday but other blazes in the devastated Mediterranean country were under control, the fire services said.

Planes douse a blaze on the outskirts of Karytena on the Peloponnese peninsula, 01 September. A fire raged in Mount Parnon near the Greek town of Sparta for a ninth day Sunday but other blazes in the devastated Mediterranean country were under control, the fire services said.

Smoke and flames from a forest fire are seen behind the houses of a village in south Peloponnese, about 350 km (217 miles) from Athens, August 26, 2007. Weak zoning laws, careless farmers and smoldering garbage dumps are the main reasons for the forest fires that have killed 63 and destroyed whole rural economies in Greece in recent days, Greenpeace said on Monday.

A wreath sits on a burnt firefighting truck outside the village of Artemida on the Peloponnese peninsula. European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso headed to Athens to "show solidarity" with Greeks traumatised by forest fires which have killed scores of people and surged once again on Friday

A Greek Red Cross member walks next to the burnt car of Artemida's village mayor at Peloponnese peninsula. European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso headed to Athens to "show solidarity" with Greeks traumatised by forest fires which have killed scores of people and surged once again on Friday.