More evacuations ordered in Attica

The fire burning in western Attica and Viotia for a fourth consecutive day kept reviving on Thursday, leading to more evacuations and more destruction of property.

Despite the mobilization of extra resources - at some point, 11 water-dropping airplanes and 11 helicopters, including four sent by France and Italy, were operating in the area - Fire Service officers conceded that the prevailing high temperatures made all this dumping of water ineffective.

What worried the Fire Service most was the blaze front outside the village of Stefani. If it moved past the village to the east, the whole Mt Parnitha National Forest would be in danger. But a change in the direction of the wind, which was not particularly strong Thursday, revived another front, close to the town of Mandra, about 10 kilometers southwest of Stefani. The blaze moved to ground that had been spared the...