Ecological succession

A Greek woman who lost her husband and two children in the deadly wildfire in east Attica last July has submitted a request to authorities asking them to respond to whether firefighting helicopters were grounded on the day of the deadly blaze.

Video footage, taken from a security camera on a house in Mati, the coastal settlement that bore the brunt of July's deadly wildfires, reveals the speed at which the blaze spread on the fateful afternoon of July 23. 

Firefighters on the eastern Aegean island of Samos were battling to contain a wildfire that broke out late Saturday tearing through a pine tree forest.

A total 36 firefighters, manning 17 trucks, were sent to the area of Kedros, in the northwest part of the island, to tackle the fire. They were aided by five water-dropping helicopters and two aircraft.

The death toll in last month's wildfire in eastern Attica has reached 97, according to the fire service.

In a short statement, the fire service said that 83 people were killed in the deadly blaze while 14 subsequently died in hospital.

The latest fatality is a 78-year-old man, who died of his burns injuries in Thriasio hospital, in western Attica. 

In 2007 a massive wildfire threatened Ancient Olympia (pictured), the birthplace of the Olympic Games in the Peloponnese, but was halted before it could cause any serious damage.

The death toll from last month's wildfires on the outskirts of Attica rose to 95, following the deaths of two burns victims, as a large blaze that broke out on the island of Evia on Sunday was brought under control on Monday. 

Still reeling from the political backlash of last month's devastating wildfires, the government is reportedly seeking to shift the focus of attention to Greece's official exit from its bailout program next week.

The government has issued fast-track legislation, which does not require approval in Parliament, to accelerate its plans for the demolition of thousands of illegal properties on Greece's coastlines and forestland, it emerged on Saturday.

As a judicial investigation into last month's catastrophic wildfires in parts of Attica gathers pace, experts have warned of toxic pollution in the areas affected by the blazes.

A seventh person died in a northern California wildfire Aug. 4, officials said, as a couple of other fast-growing wildfires in the state expanded by more than 25 percent overnight and continued to spread.