Greek fires doused

As winds died down significantly Tuesday, all but two blazes burning around Athens have been brought under control or been put out. The main fire broke out late on Friday in the village of Grammatiko, about 40 km northeast of Athens. It spread quickly through the mountains of east Attica and swept across regions northeast and west of the capital Athens. In all, more than 90 wildfires had ignited across Greece, six major fires were burning late Sunday.

By Tuesday, 21,000 hectares (75,000 acres) of forest, olive groves and farmland were reduced to cinders and 150 homes were destroyed.

"Weather conditions are good and it was deemed that ground forces can handle the task without air support," a fire department spokesman said on Tuesday.

Around 500 Greek firefighters – joined by counterparts from Austria, Cyprus, France, Italy and Turkey – continue to guard regions north and northeast of Athens against any flare-ups. Firefighting efforts have been drastically reduced to three planes and one helicopter.

The only two fires still burning late on Tuesday were near the coastal town of Karathina and Porto Germano north-west of Athens and near the village of Karisto on Evia island, east of Athens.

Some damage to forests irreparable

The media on Tuesday attacked the government for saying that pine trees were to blame for the fast spread of the blazes. "Pine trees may be pretty but in a way they are an additional aggravating factor in the spread of fires," government spokesman Evangelos Antonaros said on Monday.

Experts estimate it will take generations to replace the lost forests. Some have been burned beyond hope for natural re-growth.

The government is now facing criticism for its slow response and of failing to prevent another ecological disaster, exactly two years after similar forest fires killed 77 people in Greece.

Prime Minister Costas Karamanlis called an early general election a month after that disaster. He is widely reported to be calculating when to hold another early election. His conservative administration is barely halfway through its four-year term and has just a single-seat majority in parliament.

Fingers pointing at unscrupulous property developments

A detailed inspection of affected areas has meanwhile begun on Tuesday. A public prosecutor has also ordered an inquiry into whether arson was behind the fire in an area where fires have in the past been set by land developers.

Many Greeks are convinced developers are behind many fires. As Athens expands, demand for housing has overtaken urban planning. Many buildings are put up first and legalized later, eager by governments to secure votes - or, scared to lose them.

wl/AP/AFP/reu/Dpa
Editor: Trinity Hartman