Firefighters backed by helicopters struggled to put out several
major forest fires across southern Europe yesterday, notably in
Bulgaria, Macedonia, and Greece, as well as Spain's Canary
Islands.
In Bulgaria, where 23,000 hectares of woodland have been burned
in the searing temperatures of the last week, fires continued to
rage in the south and center.
The region around Chepelare was on high alert, and authorities
said the situation around the towns of Karlovo, Kazanlak and
Pazardhik was also critical. There were warnings that the 10th
century monastery of Rila - which has been declared a world
heritage site by UNESCO - could be in danger.
Bulgarian police said they have now arrested 20 people on
suspicion of starting the forest fires.
In Greece, five fires were burning yesterday in the northwestern
areas of Ioannina, Florina, Kozani, Pieria and Thesprotia, where
some 300 firefighters were deployed to control them. Fires which
have been burning in recent days in other parts of the country
appeared to be dying down, Greek officials said. Four people have
been arrested on suspicion of deliberately setting fires around
Greece.
In Macedonia a new fire broke out on Saturday near the Jasen
national park in the northwest. Two German helicopters from the
KFOR peacekeeping force in Kosovo were sent to help put out the
flames.
In the UN-run province of Serbia, three new fires were spotted
northwest of Kosovo's capital Pristina.
Parts of Italy remained on high alert, but firefighters said the
level of threat had gone down slightly.
Several small fires continued to burn in the Pollino national
park in the south, and new outbreaks were reported near Bologna in
the north, in the Abruzzo and Marche regions of the center, in
Campania in the south, as well as in the Lazio region around
Rome.
In the Canary Islands off the west African coast, a fire which
broke out on Friday on Gran Canaria continued to burn over some
2,000 hectares, officials said.
Ten helicopters were deployed to control the blaze, and some 70
children had to be evacuated from a camp site.
A 37-year-old forest warden who first raised the alert has
admitted that he started the fire. He told police he did it because
he wanted his work contract to be renewed when it runs out in
September. Another fire was burning on the small island of La
Gomera, but it was under control. On the Spanish mainland a fire
was burning on a military firing-range near Cordoba in the
south.
(China Daily via AFP July 30, 2007)
