Massive wildfire in northeastern Greece persists for 11th day despite European firefighting efforts

By ELENA BECATOROS
Associated Press

ATHENS, Greece (AP) — A massive wildfire is burning unabated in northeastern Greece for the 11th day despite the efforts of hundreds of firefighters and a fleet of water-dropping aircraft. After burning across vast tracts of land, the blaze in the Alexandroupolis and Evros region is mainly concentrated deep in a forest near the border with Turkey, in an area difficult to access. The wildfire was blamed for 20 of the 21 wildfire-related deaths in Greece last week. Additional firefighting aircraft from France and Spain are joining firefighting forces sent to Greece from across Europe in what EU officials say is the bloc’s largest aerial firefighting operation launched under its emergency response mechanism since it was launched in 2019.