Fire on Rhodes still raging unchecked

Gazzetta team
Fire on Rhodes still raging unchecked
A forest fire that broke out on the Aegean island of Rhodes was continuing to rage unchecked on Thursday afternoon, despite the fire brigade's best efforts to put it out.

Rhodes Mayor Fotis Hatzidiakos appealed to all citizens that owned bulldozers or large tractors to assist in the fire-fighting effort on the island by helping to open up firebreaks to corral the flames. He painted a grim picture, noting that the multiple simultaneous locations of the fire made it hard to get under control.

By the afternoon, the flames had passed the village of Laerma and were heading toward an agricultural region near the village Apollonon. Fire-fighting forces were making efforts to prevent the flames from reaching the fields.

In addition to fire brigade forces on the ground and volunteers, the fire brigade and Greek army had sent three water-bombing helicopters and an airplane to assist from the air.