Tourism Fears As Heatwave Sparks Fires Across Greece

Greek firefighters were last night battling blazes that raged uncontrollably, threatening houses and hotels in Kefalonia, villages in the Peloponnese, and large parts of the country's northern border areas.

Tinderbox conditions triggered by temperatures that yesterday hit 45C (113F) in the shade in Athens - the hottest day of the year in the capital - were the spark for most of the blazes, according to authorities. But firefighters yesterday were also confronted by blazes that swept across the frontiers that Greece shares with Albania and Macedonia.

"We will soon be asking which part of the country is not ablaze," said one television news presenter. The fires, described as some of the worst in modern history, have wreaked more destruction in Greece in the past three weeks than all previous fires in the past four years, with officials recording more than 3,000 since May 1.

The government said yesterday it would ask fellow EU states for more water-dropping aircraft and helicopters "in this difficult summer".

With high winds threatening further blazes, the ruling conservatives introduced round-the-clock fire service patrols and recruited an extra 1,300 firefighters. "They are the heroes of these critical times," said the prime minister, Costas Karamanlis.

In places like Athens, where fires earlier this month destroyed vast tracts of the pine-covered Parnitha range, the blazes have not only exacerbated the heat but have been blamed for soaring pollution levels. The Greek capital yesterday resembled a ghost town, with people staying off the streets. Authorities said hundreds were in hospital with respiratory problems.

Officials are worried about the impact of the fires on tourism, Greece's main foreign currency earner. Over the past week holidaymakers have been forced to evacuate resorts as forest fires have also struck popular islands. Britons in Kefalonia yesterday rushed to help put out the fires.

The heatwave, which has also had a devastating impact in the Balkans, triggering deaths in Hungary and Romania, is the second to hit Greece in less than a month.

Temperatures in June, when the mercury hit 46C, were the highest in the past century, with scientists believing they are evidence of the extent of climate change in the eastern Mediterranean.