Tourists evacuated from Greek island camp as wildfire rages

By Associated Press 12 August 2019, 12:00AM

ATHENS, Greece (AP) — A tourist camp and nearby houses on the island of Elafonisos, in southern Greece, have been evacuated for the second day in a row as a wildfire at a nearby landfill intensified because of strong winds.

Authorities had pronounced the fire "under control" Saturday night, but winds picked up. In all, 90 firefighters on Sunday were trying to contain the fire, aided by six airplanes and three helicopters.

Elafonisos, a 19 square kilometer (7 square mile) island well-known for its sandy beaches, has a population of about 350 people but is visited by over 3,000 tourists daily during the summer.

Strong winds and high temperatures have helped dozens of wildfires break out since Friday across Greece.

By Associated Press 12 August 2019, 12:00AM

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