ATHENS, August 21 (RIA Novosti) - Greek firefighters have brought under control a series of forest fires that hit the country earlier this week, national media reported on Friday.
Wildfires hit the country on Thursday afternoon, with the first outbreak registered in the town of Magoula, some 25 km (15.5 miles) west of the country's capital, Athens. The fire broke out near a cement plant, destroying some storehouses and trucks, national newspapers said. No casualties were reported
Large fires were also successfully tackled overnight in the Ionian Sea's island of Kefalonia, in the western region of Etolia and Akarnania, and in Greece's central region of Thesprotia.
The total number of fires registered over the past 24 hours, both on the mainland and in the islands, exceeded 100, the Naftemporiki newspaper said, adding that eighty-six of them were quickly extinguished.
Forest fires hit Greece annually as a result of extremely hot weather and strong winds. In 2007, the country's deadliest ever fires claimed dozens of lives and burned up about 260 hectares of forest, according to Greenpeace.
