Water bombers take to skies as Greece battles wildfires

KRYO PIGADI, Greece - Water-bombing aircraft resumed firefighting operations in Greece on Aug 3 after winds eased, joining hundreds of firefighters battling multiple blazes that have already claimed five lives, the fire department told AFP.Greece, which had largely avoided major blazes at the start of the summer unlike France and Spain, is now grappling with a second consecutive week of wildfires that have scorched thousands of hectares of forest, scrubland and farmland.“Today we are facing three difficult fronts: Psatha, Kryo Pigadi and Kandyli,” a department spokesperson told AFP, referring to areas located between 45 and 70 kilometres west of Athens.Lighter winds allowed aerial firefighting operations to resume early on Aug 3, with nine water-bombing aircraft joining nine helicopters an