Eighty-nine new fires continue to rage destruction churning everything to white ash, even as firefighters and water-bearing planes have begun arriving from other European nations. These extensive Greek fires, which have resulted in a national alert, are an environmental disaster right down to the sea, which until now has claimed sixty lives in three days. The flames are hedging closer to Ancient Olympia on the Peloponnese, where the first Olympic Games were played in 776 B.C.
The 2,800-year-old site is the holiest sanctuary in ancient Greece. The city itself still contains the ruins of the old stadium and several pagan temples, including one to the goddess Hera.
The fire swept through the site, scorching several trees and hills at the ancient Olympic stadium while leaving the ruins and monuments unharmed. Even as the fires were contained with concentrated effort from 45 firefighters and 15 trucks, flames reportedly singed the grounds of the museum there, which houses many antiquities from the site of the ancient games.
During hot and dry summer, days forest fires can be quite common in Greece but the present ones are probably the result of arsonists actions. In most cases these fires are purposely put to clear land for development. No construction is allowed in Greece in areas selected as forest land, and fires are sometimes set to thwart the law.
Amidst the rage of the fires, many residents blamed authorities for leaving them defenseless. The government is desperately seeking the arsonist responsible for this disaster; it has put forth an award of $1.36 million for anyone providing information that would lead to the arrest of an arsonist. Already numerous arrests have been made. Most of the dead came from villages near the town of Zaharo, on the west coast of the Peloponnesian peninsula.
Charred bodies, smoke, burnt and gutted houses, destroyed forests, blackened hillsides, and unprecedented destruction, has made this a period of great tragedy in Greece. The rest of Europe is lending a helping hand as firefighting planes arrived from France and Italy, with more expected from Germany, Slovenia and Poland.
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