28 August 2007 (from AFP) - Forest fires broke out in southern Greece on August 24 following the third heatwave the country had experienced in 2007, and killed at least 63 people.

The mountainous southern peninsula of Peloponnese, where people died trapped in isolated villages engulfed by flames, remains the worst affected region.

Fires were also still burning in forests on Evia, the island north of Athens where four of the victims died.

More than 800 Greek firefighters and 800 soldiers were being assisted by water-bombing aircraft and firefighters from a host of countries. Greek authorities believe many of the fires were started deliberately.

This Landsat 5 Thematic Mapper image, acquired over the Peloponnesus Peninsula, shows the fire situation over the area.

The selected band combination, 752, allows the discrimination of forests, rivers and urban areas, making it possible to differentiate burnt areas (dark red).

Landsat 5 Thematic Mapper magnified image: the lines visible where fires are still active are due to the sensor saturation in band 7.

Medium Resolution Imaging Spectrometer (MERIS) over the Peloponnese peninsula devastated by fire.

This Medium Resolution Imaging Spectrometer (MERIS) image shows the same area as the above image, but in a different band combination to highlight the burnt areas.

This Medium Resolution Imaging Spectrometer (MERIS) image shows the same area as the above image, but in a different band combination to highlight the burnt areas.

This Medium Resolution Imaging Spectrometer (MERIS) image shows the same area as the above image, but in a different band combination to highlight the burnt areas.

This Medium Resolution Imaging Spectrometer (MERIS) image shows the same area as the above image, but in a different band combination to highlight the burnt areas.

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