ANCIENT OLYMPIA, Greece - Firefighters backed by aircraft dropped water and foam on the birthplace of the ancient Olympics Sunday to stop wildfires from burning the 2,800-year-old ruins, one of the most revered sites of antiquity.
But the fires burning for three straight days obliterated vast swathes of the country and the death toll rose by 11 on Sunday to 60. New fires broke out faster than others could be brought under control. Desperate residents appealed through television stations for help from a firefighting service already stretched to the limit and many blamed authorities for leaving them defenseless.
“Fires are burning in more than half the country,” said fire department spokesman Nikos Diamandis. “This is definitely an unprecedented disaster for Greece.”
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Government and firefighting officials have suggested arson caused many of the blazes, and several people had been arrested. The government offered a reward of up to $1.36 million for anyone providing information that would lead to the arrest of an arsonist.
Forest fires are common during Greece’s hot, dry summers — but nothing has approached the scale of the last three days. Arson is often suspected, mostly to clear land for development. No construction is allowed in Greece in areas designated as forest land, and fires are sometimes set to circumvent the law.
Slide show Greece’s inferno
See images of the wildfires that are racing through Greece, killing dozens and threatening sites of antiquity.
The front of one fire Sunday reached Ancient Olympia in southern Greece, burning trees and shrubs just a few yards from the museum at the site. Although the pristine forest around the site was burned, none of the ruins were damaged.
Ruined temples of Zeus, king of the ancient Greek gods, and his wife Hera stand on what was a lush riverside site — a flat stretch of land surrounded by pine-clad hills — near the stadium that hosted the ancient Olympic games for more than 1,000 years after they started in 776 B.C. The site strewn with fallen columns includes the remains of a gymnasium, a wrestling hall, hostels, bathhouses, priests’ residences and altars. The 5th century B.C. limestone temple of Zeus is one of the largest in mainland Greece.
Helicopters and aircraft covered the ruins with water and foam. The flames reached the edge of the ancient stadium, searing the grass and incinerating the trees on the hill above. Volunteers grabbed buckets of water and joined firefighters.
“We don’t know exactly how much damage there is in the Olympia area, but the important thing is that the museum is as it was and the archaeological site will not have any problem,” Culture Minister George Voulgarakis told The Associated Press at the site.
Firefighters remained in the area after dark to ensure the fire did not re-ignite.
“It’s hell everywhere,” said Costas Ladas, a resident of Kolyri near Ancient Olympia, who said the fire covered more than a mile in three minutes. “I’ve never seen anything like it.”
Local schoolteacher Gerassimos Kaproulias criticized the government, saying it was totally unable to deal with the fires.
‘Very angry’
“I am very angry,” he said. “Nobody thought that one of the five most highly protected areas in Greece could be burned like this.”
The fire also blazed into the nearby village of Varvasaina, destroying several houses. As residents rushed to battle the flames, others, stunned, walked the streets holding their heads in their hands.
The worst-affected region was around the town of Zaharo, south of Ancient Olympia. Thick smoke blocked out the summer sun and could be seen more than 60 miles away.
The worst of the fires have been concentrated in the mountains of the Peloponnese in the south and on the island of Evia north of Athens. Strong winds blew smoke and ash over the capital, blackening the evening sky and turning the rising moon red.
In the ravaged mountain villages in the Peloponnese, rescue crews found a grim scene that spoke of last-minute desperation as the fires closed in. Dozens of charred bodies have been found across fields, homes, along roads and in cars.
The remains of a mother hugging her four children were found near the town of Zaharo in the western Peloponnese, where the country’s largest fire has been burning.
Four people were killed in a new fire that broke out on Evia on Sunday, including two firefighters, the fire department said. Another two people were found in villages in the Peloponnese.
New fires also broke out Sunday in the central region of Fthiotida — one of the few areas that had been unscathed, Diamandis said.
Elsewhere, flames were about less than two miles from the Temple of Apollo Epikourios, a 2,500-year-old monument near the town of Andritsaina in the southwestern Peloponnese, said the town’s mayor, Tryphon Athanassopoulos.
“We are trying to save the Temple of Apollo, as well as Andritsaina itself,” he told Greek television.
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Across the country, churchgoers prayed for the blazes to abate.
Nearly 4,000 soldiers, backed by military helicopters, were sent to reinforce firefighters over the past three days, and at least 12 countries were sending aid.
By sea and by land, authorities evacuated hundreds of people from villages, hotels and resorts. More than 60 new fires broke out on Sunday, although 40 of them were brought under control by Sunday night, Diamandis said.
The wildfires started Friday and quickly engulfed villages, trapping dozens of people and killing at least 37.
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Zakynthos, Greece. 
The huge forest fires that blazed across southern Greece on Friday and Saturday were stabilized for a few hours today.

Fire Brigade Officer Nikos Tsogas said, "It's not getting worse...we have to act fast because the winds might pick up." However, the winds have reportedly intensified. Fire department spokesman Nikos Diamandis said, "Unfortunately the improvement that we were looking for is not there...Our target is for the fire not to enter Ancient Olympia, not to destroy antiquities." Fire is surrounding villages just a few miles away from Ancient Olympia.

Several new fires also broke out today in Phiotida in central Greece. The worst fires continue to burn in the southern mountains of Peloponnese, where some blazes involve 42 major fronts.

The fires have killed at least 63 people. Some reports indicate that an unspecified number are also missing.

Meanwhile, Greek authorities announced that they have made two arrests in the case. The first, a 65-year-old man, was reportedly seen torching trees across southern Peloponnese. The second person arrested and charged was a 77-year-old woman who reportedly was seen starting a fire while cooking outside in Zaharo. The Associated Press reports seven other people have been detained. 

Officer Tsogas said authorities are investigating reports of a cell phone attached to an explosive gas canister found after a smaller fire in mountain Ymittos in Athens.
Greek private TV station "mega channel" has reported that more than one fire-starting mechanisms connected to cell phones have been found by volunteering citizens that are trying to help the authorities.

Meanwhile the government has announced rewards ranging from 100,000 euros to one million euros for information on arsonists involved in this week's barrage of wildfire ravaging much of southern Greece.

The Greek government has declared a state of emergency.

At least 12 European countries are sending aid and resources.