Greece Devastated by Fire

Deadly wildfires in southern Greece wafted thick clouds of smoke over the Mediterranean Sea in late August 2007. According to news reports from the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC), at least 60 people had been killed by the fires as of August 27. Hundreds of homes had been burned, and thousands of people had to evacuate, many by helicopter. The government suspects that the fires were caused by arson, and it has declared a national emergency to deal with the situation. Firefighters from more than 20 countries had arrived to help control the fires.