Greece declared a state of emergency on the northern Aegean island of Samos on Monday as a wildfire was burning out of control, forcing the evacuation of hotels. High winds were fanning the forest fire and hampering operations to extinguish the blaze, according to dpa. The fire had taken hold on two major fronts, the environmentally preserved area of Marathokambos and Kalovrisi. The blaze began late Monday and rapidly spread to other parts of the island, forcing the evacuation of dozens of hotels and coming dangerously close to several villages. Six water-bombing airplanes and five helicopters were involved in the operation to bring the wildfire under control but they were grounded at dusk for safety reasons. Hundreds of firefighters and volunteers were also helping in the effort to put out the blaze. It is the second time this summer that the island has been hit with wildfires. Greece is often hit by forest fires during the hot, dry summer months, leading to the destruction of thousands of acres of forest and entire villages in recent years.
