Dozens of wildfires were reported in Greece on Saturday, with the most serious one still blazing in the early afternoon northeast of the greater Athens area, between Lake Marathon and some semi-rural communities.
Fire brigade spokesman Yiannis Kalpakis said that more than 60 fires have broken out across the country in the past 24 hours.
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Locals try to put out a fire in Varnava village, northeast of Athens, August 22, 2009. [Xinhua]
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The sudden eruption of simultaneous wildfires amid almost gale force winds in the country mobilized Greece's state apparatus, including the armed forces.
Prime Minister Kostas Karamanlis arrived at the fire brigade's operational headquarters early Saturday afternoon to oversee emergency fire-fighting efforts.
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A fire-fighting helicopter drops water over a forest fire in Grammatiko village, about 48km northeast of Athens, August 22, 2009. [Xinhua]
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"Our first priority is protection of human life, as well as citizens' property," Karamanlis said in brief statements at the fire brigade command center. "What I would also like to stress is the self-sacrifice of all those battling, under extreme conditions, to extinguish the fires."
