By JOHN F.L. ROSS
Associated Press Writer

Fire burns next to the site of ancient Olympia

ANCIENT OLYMPIA, Greece - Firefighters backed by aircraft dropped water and foam on the birthplace of the ancient Olympics Sunday to stop wildfires from burning the 2,800-year-old ruins, one of the most revered sites of antiquity.

But the fires burning for three straight days obliterated vast swathes of the country and the death toll rose by 11 on Sunday to 60.

Desperate residents appealed through television stations for help from a firefighting service already stretched to the limit and many blamed authorities for leaving them defenseless.

“Fires are burning in more than half the country,” said fire department spokesman Nikos Diamandis. “This is definitely an unprecedented disaster for Greece.”

Diamandis said 89 new fires broke out during a 24-hour period starting at 6 a.m. Sunday. Twenty-eight were considered particularly dangerous.

Government and firefighting officials have suggested arson caused many of the blazes, and several people had been arrested. The government offered a reward of up to $1.36 million for anyone providing information that would lead to the arrest of an arsonist.

Forest fires are common during Greece’s hot, dry summers - but nothing has approached the scale of the last three days. Arson is often suspected, mostly to clear land for development. No construction is allowed in Greece in areas designated as forest land, and fires are sometimes set to circumvent the law.
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MEANWHILE……

Greek forest fires reward offered

from The BBC Online

A 1m euro (£678,000) reward has been offered to help catch the arsonists suspected of being behind Greek forest fires which have killed at least 60.

New fires continue to break out, with firefighters contending with 63 fresh blazes on Sunday in what officials called an “unprecedented disaster”.

The authorities have already arrested several people over the fires.

Ancient Olympia, birthplace of the Olympics, was also threatened but firefighters kept the site safe.

Culture Minister George Voulgarakis has arrived in Olympia to oversee the emergency effort.

He said: “As you can see, the archaeological museum and the archaeological site, Olympia, is as it was.

“All the people, the firefighters, the policemen, the volunteers, they fought with the fire and the museum is as it was.”

He added: “There is a big problem in the region, in the area. But the important [thing] is that the archaeological site will not have any problem.”

Helicopters and fire engines

Nikos Diamandis, a Greek fire department spokesman, told the Associated Press news agency: “Fires are burning in more than half the country. This is definitely an unprecedented disaster for Greece.”

Below is a map of the effected area

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By PETROS GIANAKOURIS
The Associated Press

ZAHARO, Greece - Forest fires sweeping uncontrolled across southern Greece have killed 44 people, some found Saturday in the charred homes of mountain villages reached too late by rescue crews hampered by powerful winds. New blazes erupted across the country, including a fire on the fringes of Athens.

The deadliest fire was in the western Peloponnese region of southern Greece, where at least 38 people were killed in mountain villages near the town Zaharo, the fire department said. A massive fire whipped by strong winds continued to burn out of control.

Firefighters searching through charred houses after daybreak found 10 bodies in the village of Makistos, the department said. They were believed to include a mother and her four children reported missing during the night.

Nine of those killed near Zaharo - including three firefighters - died after a car crashed into a fire truck and led to a pile up as people tried to flee the area, the fire department said. The smoldering remains of the fire truck lay overturned in a gully, and the charred wreckage of cars and a motorbike were strewn across the road.

“This is a day of national mourning,” said Prime Minister Costas Karamanlis, who visited the afflicted areas and chaired an emergency Cabinet meeting. “We are fighting against heavy odds, on many fronts and under particularly tough conditions.”

Hot, dry winds gusting to gale force were expected to continue Saturday before abating in the evening. The winds frequently prevented firefighting planes from taking off, leaving mainly ground forces to fight the flames in the southern Peloponnese, occasionally helped by helicopters.

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