Two people have died in a forest fire in southern Greece

ATHENS, Greece – Two people died overnight in a large forest fire in Greece near a seaside resort in the south of the country, authorities said.

According to the fire department, around 350 firefighters, supported by 18 water-dropping aircraft, managed to bring the fire near Xylokastro in the Peloponnese region largely under control early Monday.

Scattered fires were burning in the area, but the first major front had been extinguished, officials said.

After the fire broke out on Sunday, half a dozen villages were ordered to be evacuated overnight as a precautionary measure. There was no danger to Xylokastro. The flames were fanned by very strong winds blowing through forests that were tin-dry due to a warm spring and hot summer caused by climate change.

Authorities said the two dead were believed to be local residents who were reported missing late Sunday. No one else was reported missing. There were no immediate reports of burned houses in the affected area, which is about 150 kilometers (93 miles) southwest of the Greek capital Athens.

Another forest fire near Andravida in the western Peloponnese was also brought under control on Monday, but firefighters remained on alert in the area to prevent a flare-up, the fire department said.

Greece, like other southern European countries, is hit by devastating wildfires every summer, exacerbated by global warming. In recent months, authorities have had to manage more than 4,500 wildfires in rural areas parched by a prolonged drought and early summer heatwaves, in what was considered the most dangerous wildfire season in two decades.

A major investment in additional waterbombing aircraft, warning drones and other equipment allowed firefighters to extinguish most fires shortly after they started. However, in August, a devastating wildfire swept through the mountains north of Athens, destroying numerous homes and killing one person.

Still, authorities say the area burned this summer is about 25% smaller than the annual average over the past 20 years.