ATHENS — A battle was waged during the night and continues on Thursday to contain the fire in Ancient Olympia and ensure that the town and archaeological site remain intact, Citizen Protection Minister Michalis Chrisochoidis said, talking to the state television channel ERT1.

He said that teams on the ground combined with a large number of aircraft are taking part in the fire-fighting operation.

"I want to congratulate the fire fighters, who are fighting the battle heroically and with self-sacrifice in the flames. They deserve alot, we owe them a lot," the minister said.

"We will fight the battle throughout the day. The conditions are difficult, extremely unusual, which we do not often come across. However, there is a crisis management plan that we are implementing," he said.

Mitsotakis chairs meeting on wildfires

A meeting chaired by Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis was held on Thursday morning at the Maximos Mansion with the participatiom of Defence Minister Nikos Panagiotopoulos, State Minister Giorgos Gerapetritis, Deputy Defence Minister Alkiviadis Stefanis, Deputy Minister to the Prime Minister Theodoros Livanios, the chief of the Hellenic National Defence General Staff Konstantinos Floros and the prime minister's general secretary Grigoris Dimitriadis,

During the meeting, it was decided that the Army will provide further active support for the prevention and management of the wildfires. Specific announcements will follow at noon from the defence ministry.

Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis will visit the fire-stricken areas in the region of Ilia on Thursday, the prime minister's office said in an announcement.