Civil protection authorities in Greece on Friday afternoon said 56 wildfires were progress around the country, during an emergency press briefing.
The worst of the wildfires were in northern Attica prefecture (north of the greater Athens area), on the northwest part of large Evia island, in extreme southwest Messinia prefecture, in eastern Mani, at the southern tip of Laconia prefecture, in the south-central prefecture of Fokida, in Grevena precture in northern Greece and southwest Ilia prefecture, where a another front rekindled close to ancient Olympia.
Regarding the multi-front wildfire north of Athens, which erupted on Thursday from a previous blaze emanating at the Varibobi township, it was still burning along several fronts and in a number of locations, having managed to cross, from west to east, the main highway leading into and out of Athens after midnight. Destructive fires were reported in and around the communities of Afidnes, Ippokratio Politia and across the highway in Aghios Stefanos, with the blaze moving east to southeast towards the Stamata settlement.
Meanwhile, according to Deputy Civil Defense Minister Nikos Hardalias, the wildfire in northwest Evia was also advancing along a wide front, with 240 fire-fighters were operating there.
"The fire has increased dangerously and is moving in various directions and inside steep slopes of northern Evia's mountains. In Evia the winds are mainly northwesterly, with gusts of up to 6 on the Beaufort scale. Our main aim is to cut off the front in its southern course," he said.
Regarding the wildfire in ancient Olympia, the deputy minister referred to a new front in an another forested area, with 310 fire-fighters deployed to contain the blaze. As of Friday, 32 settlements were evacuated.
Meanwhile, the country's power transmission system operator on Friday said rolling power cuts were made in parts of the greater Athens area in order to prevent a generalized blackout.
