Wildfire burning through forest in southern Greece kills 2 people

ATHENS, Greece (AP) — Two people died overnight in a large wildfire burning through forestland in Greece near a seaside resort in the country's south, authorities said Monday.

The fire service said about 350 firefighters, assisted by 18 water-dropping aircraft, were battling the blaze near Xylokastro in the Peloponnese region.

While the initial large front was put out, scattered flare-ups continued to burn, forcing evacuation orders for three villages on Monday. The blaze also led authorities to shut down a section of a major highway linking Athens to the western port city of Patras Monday night, with traffic diverted to an older, smaller road.

Earlier, half a dozen villages were ordered evacuated overnight as a precaution after the blaze broke out on Sunday. There was no threat to Xylokastro. The flames were fanned by very strong winds blowing through forests left tinder-dry by a warm spring and hot summer, attributed to climate change.

Civil protection officials warned that several parts of the country, including Rhodes and other southeastern Aegean Sea islands, would face a high risk of wildfires Tuesday.

Authorities said the two dead men were believed to be residents who were declared missing late Sunday. No one else was reported missing. There were no immediate reports of burned homes in the affected area, located some 150 kilometers (93 miles) southwest of Greece's capital, Athens.

Firefighters assisted by five water-dropping aircraft were also battling a forest fire that broke out Monday farther south, near Xerokambi in the central Peloponnese.

Another wildfire near Andravida, in the western Peloponnese, was also brought under control on Monday, but firefighters remained on alert.

Greece, like other southern European countries, is plagued by destructive wildfires every summer that have been exacerbated by global warming. Over the past few months, authorities have had to cope with more than 4,500 wildfires in the countryside left parched by a protracted drought and early summer heatwaves, in what was considered the most dangerous fire season in two decades.

A big investment in extra water-bombing aircraft, warning drones and other equipment have enabled firefighters to extinguish most blazes shortly after they broke out. However, in August, a ferocious wildfire swept through the mountains north of Athens, destroying scores of homes and killing one person.

Still, authorities say this summer's expanses that have been burned are about 25% less in size than the annual average of the past 20 years.