ATHENS, Greece — A massive wildfire that destroyed vast tracts of forest in northeastern Greece over 17 days was in abeyance on Monday, although hundreds of firefighters were still tackling pockets that continued to burn, the fire department said.
Authorities also warned that parts of the country were at risk of flooding due to heavy rainstorms forecast overnight and on Tuesday that could pose a particular threat to fire-ravaged areas.
Reinforcements were sent over the weekend to battle the wildfire burning in the Evros region near the border with Turkey, bringing the total number of firefighters on Monday to 741, backed by 124 vehicles and two aircraft. The blaze has been blamed for the deaths of 20 people, all believed to have been migrants who had recently crossed the border.
“There is no active front in the Evros area right now,” Greece’s minister for civil protection, Vassilis Kikilias, said. “We remain on alert, and the battle obviously continues.”