The Peloponnesian Fire

By Michael J.W. Stickings

Here's the lastest from Greece:

Firefighters saved the temples and stadiums of ancient Olympia, birthplace of the Olympic Games, from forest fires which razed nearby villages and took the death toll from Greece's three-day inferno to 60.

Dozens of blazes, from northern Greece to the tip of the Peloponnese peninsula in the south, have blackened hillsides, destroyed forests and raced through towns and villages, causing unprecedented destruction.

Hundreds of houses have been burned and thousands of people have fled the fires, seeking temporary refuge in schools, hotels and regional health centres.

The authorities believe that arson is largely to blame for the fires. (More here.)

Here's an incredible satellite image from NASA (the Peloponnesus is the large land mass in the upper-left):