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Extinguishing work: There has been a fire in Greece for days

Photograph:

IKONOMOU VASSILIS V EPO

Wildfires fanned by strong winds sparked a series of major explosions at an air force ammunition depot in central Greece on Thursday.

The detonations could be heard for miles, as reported by state television ERT. The Air Force said that the site had been evacuated in time, there were no casualties. According to ERT, however, another major shock wave is feared – a curfew has been ordered within a radius of three kilometers around the site in Nea Anchialos near the port city of Volos in the Thessaly region.

At the military airport of Nea Anchialos, three squadrons of F-16 fighter jets of the Greek Air Force are stationed. As the state radio further reported, for security reasons, these jets were transferred to other bases of the Greek Air Force.

According to the fire brigade, seven planes and three helicopters are deployed to fight the fire to extinguish the flames that have been blazing in the region since Wednesday. Their use was "within the scope of what is possible because of the explosions," said the fire brigade spokesman. According to media reports, weapons from F-16 fighter jets, cruise missiles and bombs weighing 450 and 900 kilograms will be stored in the warehouse.

According to the port police, three coast guard patrol boats, 22 yachts and two tugboats were deployed to bring residents from the port of Nea Anchialos to the port of Volos. "This is a completely new situation," the mayor of the village, Achilleas Beos, told Skai radio. Shop windows are "broken" and it will be "a hard night".

The fires in the region broke out on Wednesday. Firefighters, police and volunteers tried the entire night to Thursday to get the fires in the vicinity of the port city of Volos under control. Six communities and villages around the city were evacuated early in the morning, and other localities were put on alert. The city's industrial area remained closed as a precaution.

Extreme heat for two weeks

Greece has been suffering from extreme heat for two weeks, with hundreds of firefighters battling forest fires across the country. Although the heat, which has persisted for days, should subside somewhat, strong winds were predicted.

sol/dpa/AFP/AP