Greece wildfires slowly abate

Firefighters were still battling rekindled blazes in parts of Greece on Friday, while wildfires raging across the country for two weeks now slowly abated, reported Xinhua.

The situation also improved in the greater Volos area, where on Thursday a blaze triggered a series of explosions at an ammunition depot of the Air Force base of Nea Anchialos, the Greek national news agency AMNA reported.

No injuries were reported as some 2,000 people and the base personnel had to be evacuated as a precaution, according to the authorities. The explosion shattered windows in surrounding areas.

On Friday, residents of nearby settlements were gradually returning to their homes and businesses to assess the damage.

On the islands of Corfu and Rhodes, where 20,000 people had been evacuated as a precaution a few days earlier, residents started to return to their homes on Friday.

In the past 10 days, Greece registered 667 wildfires, Climate Crisis and Civil Protection Minister Vassilis Kikilias told a press briefing here on Friday.

Most of these were man-made either by neglect or intentionally, and were fueled by high temperatures as the country experienced three consecutive heatwaves, he said.

The climate crisis is not going away, and the authorities must adapt their policies on all levels, he added.

Five people have lost their lives in the wildfires this week, including the pilots of an airplane that crashed while battling a forest fire.