Dozens of firefighters were sent to Crete yesterday to battle large blazes which were fanned by winds reaching up to 11 on the Beaufort scale.
Three blazes broke out yesterday in the prefecture of Rethymno. The worst of the blazes razed several hectares of forestland above the southern beach of Preveli. The fire which was also fanned by strong winds had approached a local monastery but firemen managed to contain it before it posed a real threat to the monastic community. The local prefectural official responsible for civil protection Antonis Bayiartakis described the damage wreaked by the blaze as: “a massive disaster – a huge blow for the environment, culture and tourism sectors.” The fire had been brought under partial control by late last night.
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