August 2007 Mi-26 Russian fire fighting helicopter in Central Evia, Greece. Dozens of villages have burned down while hundreds of thousands of acres of forest have been destroyed in the fires that broke out across central and southern Greece in August 2007. After Greece declared a nationwide state of emergency, many European Union and Mediterranean countries such as Cyprus, France, Italy, Spain, Germany and Israel began sending firefighting aircraft to Greece. Greek firefighters and Army aided by foreign volunteers, fought blazes on the island of Evia and on the Peloponnesian prefectures of Ileia, Arcadia and Messinia. It is estimated that more than 100,000 people have been affected by the wildfires while 67 people have lost their lives. The fires are also responsible for the destruction of a large number of homes, damage to communications, electric, and water infrastructure. Fire-fighting pictures from Evia, Greece: http://kevrekidis.deviantart.com/gallery/ ©2007-2008 Jordan Kevrekidis