Firefighters battle major forest fire for 2nd day

摘要

Greek firefighters were battling a major forest fire in the Corinth region west of Athens for a second day today, with more settlements evacuated overnight. Civil protection head Nikos Hardalias said more than 4,000 hectares (nearly 9,900 acres) of mostly forest in mountainous terrain had been burned. Dozens of houses were also destroyed, mostly holiday homes or small dwellings outside of villages. The fire, which broke out late Wednesday near the village of Schinos, was fanned by gale-force winds that blanketed the Greek capital about 40 miles to the west with acrid smoke throughout the day yesterday. "During the night, there were many fronts that were exceptionally dangerous for our forces," said Hardalias, adding that three settlements and one monastery were evacuated as a precaution during the night.