A helicopter tries to extinguish a wildfire on the Greek island of Kythera on Aug. 6, 2017. Greek island of Kythera was declared in a state of emergency on Saturday night due to a raging wildfire that burns since Friday, Greece's Civil Protection Service announced on Sunday. One firefighter has been injured battling the blaze, according to Greek national news agency AMNA, as the local Fire service has been reinforced with dozens of men and aerial means from across Greece. (Xinhua/Lefteris Partsalis)
ATHENS, Aug. 6 (Xinhua) -- Kythera island in the southwestern Aegean Sea was declared in a state of emergency on Saturday night due to a raging wildfire that burns since Friday, Greece's Civil Protection Service announced on Sunday.
One firefighter has been injured battling the blaze, according to Greek national news agency AMNA, as the local Fire service has been reinforced with dozens of men and aerial means from across Greece.
More than 80 fire men assisted by 30 vehicles, three water dropping helicopters, one water dropping aircraft and more than 80 soldiers in addition to dozens local volunteers were trying to contain the flames on Sunday, according to a Fire Brigade announcement.
Two settlements have been evacuated for precautionary reasons from Saturday, according to the fire service which has still not given an estimate on the destruction.
So far no homes have been damaged, but hundreds of acres of mainly low vegetation have been scorched, according to local officials, and parts of the island faced power cuts.
The main front stretches over two kilometers in a mountainous leafy area which is difficult to approach and the efforts are hampered by the strong winds which change direction, the island's Mayor Eustratios Charchalakis told AMNA.
Civil Protection Service General Secretary Yannis Kapakis voiced optimism that by sunset the fire could be put under control.
The wildfire on Kythera is the biggest challenge for the Fire Service this weekend among the dozens of blazes which have broken out throughout Greece since Friday, according to an e-mailed Fire Service announcement.
It was not yet clear what caused the fire on Kythera island, but Greece suffers from scores of destructive wildfires each summer due to scorching temperatures or arson. Ten years ago, in the worst wildfires tragedy in recent decades, over 80 people died as dozens of large wildfires raged across Greece.
As firefighters were struggling to extinguish the flames on Kythera this weekend, a 24- year old Greek was arrested in Athens on charges of arson, the Fire Service said. According to the press release the man is accused of deliberately starting at least 16 fires from this March to August in Athens suburbs.
