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In Greece, 170 fires burning, 37 dead, and government shaken

Over 170 fires are now burning in Greece. Mostly they are wildfires in the hills, but yesterday a fire broke out in Athens itself that required ten engines to quell. Thirty-seven have been killed, including several firefighters.

The prime minister has called the disaster "an unspeakable tragedy."

Temps reached 42 degrees Celsius, or about 108 degrees Fahrenheit, in Athens, according to the Associated Press.

The fires have been burning for weeks, and the conservative government has been bitterly criticized for its weak effort against them, reports the BBC. The death toll jumped from 28 to 37 overnight.

(photo: foivosloxias, licensed under Creative Commons)

Firefighters, too, have died, including the two in this plane, which slammed into a mountain after dropping a load of retardants on a wildfire in Evia.

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