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National Tree Day Planet Ark Home
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Forest Fire Near Athens Put Out |
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| GREECE: June 23, 2008 | ||
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ATHENS - A forest fire that raged near the Greek capital, damaging holiday homes, was brought under control late on Friday with no casualties reported, fire fighters said.
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"It burned two homes but it is mostly put out," said a police official. Scores of firefighters and 12 aircraft battled the blaze, which, fanned by strong winds, threatened the coastal town of Kalamos, 35 km (22 miles) northeast of Athens. It was not immediately clear what caused the blaze. Eight firefighting planes, four helicopters and 26 fire engines were dispatched to the scene, as well as more than 100 firefighters. Last year Greece saw some of the worst forest fires in memory, caused by record-high temperatures, drought and arsonists. Wildfires swept through dozens of villages in the Peloponnese, southern Greece, during a 10-day inferno that killed 65 people and brought the country to a state of emergency. (Reporting by George Georgiopoulos; editing by Andrew Roche)
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REUTERS NEWS SERVICE
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