by Maria Spiliopoulou
ATHENS, Oct. 25 (Xinhua) -- A wildfire was raging in Sithonia peninsula in northern Greece on Thursday with local authorities on alert to evacuate a village if deemed necessary, Greek national news agency AMNA reported.
The blaze broke out before dawn under yet unclear circumstances in a pine forest and was fuelled by strong winds up to 9 on the Beaufort scale blowing in the area.
At least 80 firefighters assisted by many volunteers, four water dropping airplanes, two helicopters and 40 vehicles, were battling the flames, according to the Fire Brigade.
As the fire front was stretching for almost 3 km, authorities were ready to evacuate the seaside village of Sarti which is located some 220 km northeast of Athens and has about 1,000 residents by boats, Central Macedonia province Governor Apostolos Tzitzikostas told AMNA.
"The situation is critical, but we expect that winds will weaken by the evening," Tzitzikostas said.
The traffic in the area has been stopped, while electricity and water supply were disrupted.
Greece suffers from destructive wildfires every year, mainly during the summers, and in most cases high temperatures and arsonists are linked.
This summer 99 people lost their lives when a wildfire swept through the coastal resort of Mati, 30 km east of Athens.
