Wildfires in southern Greece continue to rage for third day

Hundreds of firefighters and volunteers in Greece’s southern region of Corinthia battled a wildfire for a third day as scattered flare-ups continue to burn.

The fire has killed two people and devastated a large forested area, prompting pledges of assistance from other European Union countries. Croatia and Italy both sent planes to in pursuit of containing the fire, but desperation among the region’s residents remains.

The Greek fire service said more than 400 firefighters, assisted by 22 aircraft, were engaged against the blaze in the rugged mountains of Corinthia in the Peloponnese region.

While wildfires are common in the summer, this year the season started much earlier than usual, in April, and has extended well into the fall.

The fire service said a total of 41 wildfires broke out all over the country over the past 24 hours. It added that this week’s fire was one of the most difficult ones faced this season.

Antonis Kakavitsos, a resident of the region, compared the destruction to wildfires in the year 2000, which caused widespread devastation.

Greece, like other southern European countries, is plagued every summer by destructive wildfires that have been exacerbated by global warming. Over the past few months, the fire service has had to cope with more than 4,500 wildfires.

This year’s had been flagged as the most dangerous season in two decades after the countryside was left parched by a protracted drought and early summer heatwaves.