ATHENS, June 27 (Xinhua) -- A refugee camp near the town of Lavrio in the southeastern part of Attica, near Athens, was evacuated on Thursday due to a wildfire which broke out in the area, Greek national news agency AMNA reported. No injured have been reported.
Some 70 refugees and migrants were evacuated as a precaution step due to the heavy smoke as Fire Brigade forces were battling the flames.
The firemen's efforts have been hampered by strong winds of up to 6 on the Beaufort scale blowing in the area, but according to the latest from the Fire Brigade the blaze has been partially controlled, before approaching residential zones and the premises of Greek arms factory Hellenic Defence Systems.
From Wednesday evening until early Thursday firemen were also struggling to extinguish a wildfire on Evia island.
The Fire Brigade faced more than 30 wildfires within 24 hours on Wednesday and Thursday, according to an e-mailed press release.
Each summer Greece suffers from destructive wildfires which are caused by arson, heat waves or negligence.
A wildfire which swept through a seaside resort 30 kilometers east of Athens last July resulted in 102 deaths.
On average half of the wildfires recorded in Greece every year are linked to arson, 30 percent to negligence and 20 percent to other causes, according to Greek Citizen Protection Ministry statistics.
