Greek firefighters battle wildfire into the night

Greek firefighters continued to battle into the night to control a large forest fire fanned by strong winds close to homes near the seaside village of Kechries in the eastern Peloponnese on Wednesday. Authorities said they had been forced to evacuate a residential settlement as the blaze came close to a military camp where explosives were stored.

Thick dark smoke clouded the area, with the front of the blaze moving south in very windy conditions. More than 70 firefighters were battling the blaze, assisted by five helicopters and two planes, with volunteers also helping. The chief of Greece's fire brigade had travelled to the area to coordinate efforts, with reinforcements also heading there. Greece is often plagued by wildfires during the summer months. A deadly fire on the east coast of Athens in 2018 in the summer seaside resort of Mati killed 100, including children, in the space of hours, in one of the worst fires in the country's history.