Greek blazes mostly under control, say fire fighters

Wildfires that have scorched Greece for more than two weeks were mostly under control, but firefighters remained in key hotspots with strong winds still a threat, officials said.

Wildfires that have scorched Greece for more than two weeks were on Saturday mostly under control, but firefighters remained in key hotspots with strong winds still a threat, officials said.

"Scattered fire pockets are being extinguished," the fire department said in an update to AFP, adding that there was "no active front" in the three biggest wildfires in Rhodes, Corfu and central Greece that had forced thousands of people to flee.

Nevertheless, more than 460 firefighters were still deployed in these three areas as a precaution, it said.

"There is no de-escalation of forces until the major incidents are checked", it said.

Fed by scorching temperatures, dry conditions and strong winds, the two-week inferno had sparked chaos at the peak of the busy summer tourist season in Greece.

Some 20,000 visitors and locals fled from hotels and villages on the island of Rhodes. Hundreds more were evacuated in Corfu and other areas.

The fires killed at least five people and scorched nearly 50,000 hectares (123,500 acres) of forest and vegetation, according to estimates by the Athens Observatory.