More than 131 fire fighters, ground and air units in Greece have been trying to extinguish a massive fire in the Pierian Mountains in Central Macedonia which broke out on Sunday morning at an altitude of 1,100 meters in the Sarakatsana area and continues to burn for a third consecutive day.
According to reports, the fire front burning one of the few remaining woodlands in the region, is moving in the direction of the town of Kozani.
Fire authorities attribute the blaze to the extremely high temperatures for the season, the drought-like conditions, and the strong winds, which are hampering firefighting efforts. There have been no official comments.
Last year, one of Greece’s largest nature preserves, the Dadia Forest, went up in smoke after a fire in the Evros region burned for at least 10 days. It had followed another fire on the island of Rhodes in July which forced the evacuation of hundreds of tourists.
