August 28, 2007	Tuesday	Sha’aban 14, 1428

CHRISAFA (Greece), Aug 27: Desperate residents of this scorched Greek village risked their lives to stop flames engulfing their homes and complain they were deserted by the authorities when they needed them most.

“The village was encircled by fire in just 10 minutes, but we had to manage all on our own. There wasn’t a single firefighter to be seen,” said Spyros Petrakios, the mayor of Chrisafa, a village of 350 people at the foot of Mount Parnon in southern Greece.

When fire tore through the dried-out valley towards Chrisafa on Friday, the normally sleepy village was left to its own devices and every resident who could stand the tremendous heat fought tooth and nail to keep the flames away from their homes.

Despite their efforts, four houses were damaged but residents said it was a miracle that no-one was killed.

“We are still in a state of shock,” Mayor Petrakios said.

On Monday, the olive groves which are the village’s lifeline lay smouldering in the distance and the stench of smoke hung heavy in the air. A herd of goats somehow survived.

“There is not even going to be enough (olive) oil to see us through the year. That is unheard of,” the mayor added.

“The animals are OK, but almost everything else went up in smoke. We are wondering how we are going to earn a living now.” Three days after Chrisafa resisted, flames were still tearing though other areas of the Peloponnese peninsula on Monday.

Costas Kolovas, a farmer in Chrisafa, said he was convinced that the fires were started by arsonists.

“I would even say they were experts. They set fire to homes so efficiently and they did it while the wind was blowing up a storm.” With Greece due to go to the polls in less than three weeks’ time, some commentators are predicting that Prime Minister Costas Karamanlis’s expected victory might crumble amid criticism of the authorities’ tardy response.

Chrisafa traditionally backs conservatives like Karamanlis and its people were unwilling to apportion blame.

“There is no doubt though that we have to learn the lessons from this and learn how to organise ourselves,” Kolovas, the farmer, said.

As exhausted Greek firefighters struggled to bring the fires under control, European nations and Israel sent water-carrying aircraft and helicopters and firefighters to the scene.

A French team saw first-hand evidence of residents’ desperation during an arduous journey from Athens to quell devastating blazes in southeast Peloponnese.

“We saw them gathering in groups, in families, along the side of the road,” said one member of the 62-strong team.

“You got the impression that those people had been left to their own devices. Maybe that is why there are so many deaths,” said the fireman, who asked not to be named for fear of appearing critical of his overworked Greek colleagues.

“We have a big job ahead of us. The fire has already burned 20,000 hectares,” said fire officer Philippe Risser.

“The Greek commanding officer is afraid the flames will start moving again if the wind gets up. Our aim is to prevent that happening,” he said.

Team leader Lieutenant Colonel Gilles Berger said the magnitude of the disaster had made a shortage of men and equipment inevitable.—AFP