Polish firefighters extend mission in Greece

Polish firefighters sent to Greece to help fight heavy fires in parts of the country will prolong their mission in Greece as requested to do so by the Greek authorities, a Polish government official said on Monday.

The firemen, who were initially scheduled to return home on Friday, will be moved from their current location in Greece to the vicinity of the capital Athens, to combat two new and fast-spreading fires, which broke out earlier on Monday.

One of them has been reported near the harbour town of Lavrio, around 60 kilometres south of Athens.

Due to a lengthy spell of very hot weather, over 500 fires have broken out in Greece in recent weeks. Especially endangered are the regions of Attica, Central Greece, the Peloponnesus and the northern part of the Aegean Sea, especially the island of Chios.