Extreme dry weather and strong winds have caused a forest fire to rage out of control near the southern Greek port city of Kalamata, according to Greek radio reports Friday, according to DPA. The flames destroyed several houses in three communities on Taygetos mountain in the east of the city as it burned overnight, the reports said. The front of the fire was several kilometres long. Thick black smoke could be seen for kilometres spreading over the whole of the Gulf of Messina at the south-western tip of the Peloponnese peninsula. One fireman was slightly injured, and several villages had to be evacuated. Helicopters were able to drop water on the flames at first light. The situation was "very dangerous," a spokesman for the civil defence told Greek television.
