Wildfire fanned by strong winds rages uncontrolled on Greece's Serifos island
Hindustan TimesATHENS -A wildfire fanned by gale-force winds raged uncontrolled on the Greek island of Serifos on Sunday, prompting authorities to order several hamlets to evacuate. Wildfire fanned by strong winds rages uncontrolled on Greece's Serifos island Nearly a dozen firefighters with four fire engines battled the fire on the Aegean island that broke out on low vegetation but spread quickly amid strong winds, and more were expected to join them through the night, a fire brigade official said. Gusts exceeding 100 kph hampered their efforts to contain the fire on Mount Parnitha, some 20 km north of Athens, which had threatened to spread to a nature reserve, while water-carrying plans stopped operating through the night. After last summer's deadly forest fires and following its warmest winter on record, Greece developed a new doctrine, which includes deploying an extra fire truck to each new blaze, speeding up air support and clearing forests.