Originally published by the Voice of America (www.voanews.com).
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August 29, 2007

Greek Firefighters Fail to Contain Sweeping Wildfires
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http://enews.voanews.com/t?ctl=1911DD6:A6F02AD83191E160F259EE724D85C6409574F7DCC14957C0 Efforts remain
concentrated on island of Evia, north of Athens as fires rage for
sixth day





Woman watches her house as firefighting helicopter drops water in
village of Thisoa, 29 Aug 2007Fire officials in Greece say wildfires
sweeping the country have not been contained, but are not as fierce as
in previous days.

Firefighting efforts remain concentrated Wednesday on the island of
Evia, north of Athens, and the Peloponnese peninsula, which is a
landscape of blackened tree trunks and gutted houses.

The fires have claimed at least 63 lives and destroyed thousands of
hectares of forest and numerous villages.

Public criticism over the government's handling of the disaster is
intense, with thousands of Greeks expected to attend a protest in
Athens, Wednesday.

Police have charged seven people with arson and are offering a reward
of $1.4 million for information leading to more arrests.

At the Vatican Wednesday, Pope Benedict XVI prayed for the victims of
the fires and condemned the "criminal actions" of those who were
responsible.

Greek firefighters - joined by colleagues from Israel and around
Europe - are using water-dropping planes and helicopters to fight the
flames.

Some information for this report was provided by AFP, and AP.


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