Firefighters will continue efforts to control a fire raging at an inaccessible forest terrain in Lefkimmi near Soufli in NE Greece throughout the night on Friday, they said, without support from the air.

Deputy Governor for the Region of Evros Dimitris Petrovits, the fire has been restricted to two inacessible points, but does not appear to be threatening the Lefkimmi settlement, which was evacuated earlier. Residents are returning to their homes, he told Athens-Macedonian News Agency. The Fire Brigade is also creating fire zones to keep the community protected in case the wind in the area changes directio.

The fire broke out in the afternoon, and firefighters were assisted during the day by ground and air forces with the help of the Armed Forces.

It is burning in the region of the national sanctuary of Dadia-Lefkimmi, one of the most important natural environments on European and international level, home to the only colony of black vultures (Aegypius monachus) in the Balkans.

[File photo]