Outdoor fire

Ground and airborne forces fought Tuesday to contain blazes in the Evros region of northeastern Greece and the Aegean Sea island of Paros, as authorities warned of a high risk of wildfire in several parts of the country Wednesday.A water-dropping helicopter flew sorties to assist 26 firefighters with seven fire engines battling a wildfire that raged through farmland near the village of Lavara close to the Turkish border.There were no immediate reports of damage to buildings or injuries, and the cause of the blaze was unknown.Also Tuesday, three water-dropping aircraft were sent to help ground forces fight a brush fire at Kambi on the resort island of Paros in the Cyclades. At 2.42 p.m. residents in the settlements of Agios Charalambos, Kambi, Bougados and Aneratzia were instructed to evacuate to Aliki, in the island’s south. A similar appeal was issued to residents of Kamari at 3.28 p.m.For Wednesday, civil protection authorities warned that the southern island of Crete, as well as the eastern islands of Lesvos, Chios, Samos, Ikaria and Psara faced a high risk of wildfire – Category 4 on a five-notch scale. Other areas including the Greater Athens region, the island of Evia, the northeastern Peloponnese, the Cyclades and Dodecanese islands were rated as facing a Category 3 risk.