August 28, 2007
Foreign Firefighters Head To Greece
Several days of wildfires have destroyed nearly half a million acres of land in Greece, and firefighters from Israel, Austria, Italy and other countries arrived today to assist in efforts to extinguish the blazes. The European Union said it's offering unprecedented assistance to its member state.
More than 60 people have been killed since the fires first broke out all over the country, threatening populated areas and ancient sites such as Marathon and Olympia.
Greek President Karolos Papoulias declared states of emergency and deemed the fires a "national catastrophe." Elections are set for mid-September, and the government is facing widespread criticism over its handling of the spate of fires that has been plaguing the country all summer.
