Fire rages on Evia, threat to people averted

Aircraft sprayed water early on Wednesday in a bid to douse the flames of a huge wildfire on the Greek island of Evia that had prompted the evacuation of villages and spurred an appeal from authorities for assistance from European partners.
A state of emergency has been declared in regions of the densely-forested island east of Athens, after the blaze broke out on Tuesday, fanned by strong winds and high temperatures.
Italy sent two aircraft after an appeal for airborne firefighting equipment from Greek authorities. Officials said the situation appeared better by morning after firefighters spent the night battling flames.
"The situation appears better, there was a huge effort [to contain the fire], superhuman efforts," Kostas Bakoyannis, the regional governor for central Greece, told Skai TV.
Water dumping by specially-equipped aircraft started at first light. ...