The Greek fire brigade managed to bring several bush and forest fires under control near the ancient site of Olympia in the Peloponnese peninsula. This was announced by the fire department’s operations center. The Greek civil defense and the fire brigade warned: In many regions of the country, the second highest level of fire danger prevails due to the drought.
Those responsible for the ancient site of Olympia had activated their own extinguishing system on Saturday as the flames approached. The entire site can then be sprayed with water to stop the flames from spreading. However, the fire brigade was able to stop the fire a few hundred meters from the Olympia site, as reported by state radio. In 2007, large parts of the trees in Olympia were destroyed in a severe forest fire.
Mayors in the region around Olympia blamed land speculators for the fires. “They (the arsonists) want to destroy forest and bushes in order to then plant vines and olive trees,” a mayor said on state radio. The police arrested a man as a suspected arsonist near Olympia, as reported by state radio on Sunday.
According to the Meteorological Office, temperatures around 36 degrees, which are usual for the season, are expected in Greece in the coming days. Last Thursday, almost two weeks of extreme heat with temperatures well over 40 degrees came to an end.
