Greek fires to burn for at least four more days

ATHENS, Sept 1 (Reuters) Firefighters hope to have full control of Greece's worst forest fires in memory within the next four days, the fire brigade said today.

More than a week after the start of blazes that have ravaged land across the country, killing at least 63 people and forcing thousands from their homes, two fire fronts were still raging.

Both of those, on the southern Peloponnese peninsula, should be under control within days, a fire service spokesman said.

''My estimate is that if there aren't any new fire fronts we will have the fire in Arcadia under control in two days and the fire in Parnonas mountain in about four days,'' Nikos Diamantis told Reuters.

Temperatures rising to 40 degree Celsius and strong winds were hindering the battle against the fires, also still burning on the island of Evia, east of Athens.

''Today is a very dangerous day because we have a small heatwave,'' Diamantis said. ''Tomorrow on, we expect a small fall in temperature but strong winds will remain.'' Prime Minister Costas Karamanlis, facing elections on Sept.

16, toured devastated areas with European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso.

''A Greek problem is a European problem and above all this, this is a human tragedy,'' Barroso told reporters, adding he wanted to send of message of hope: ''Now we can rebuild what has been destroyed.'' BLAME Estimates of damage to the economy range from 1.2 billion euros to 4 billion. The Commission has said it could provide up to 200 million euros from a 'solidarity fund.' In the early days, many villagers were left to fight the blazes on their own and the opposition socialist PASOK party has slammed Karamanlis's handling of the disaster.

Karamanlis, who said arsonists were to blame, has called for national unity. His administration has doled out at least 107 million euros in compensation so far.

The last opinion polls showed his ruling New Democracy party keeping around a 2 percentage point lead over PASOK but support for both parties has waned since the fires began.

The World Conservation Union (IUCN), a Geneva-based global network of state and non-governmental groups, said inadequate rural planning had made the fires almost inevitable.

''Greece ... will continue to face these crises year after year until legal and institutional issues pertaining to land development, changes in rural demographics and the collapse of traditional farming practices are addressed,'' said IUCN's Bill Jackson.

Criticism came from as far away as New Zealand over Greece's centralisation of its fire services in recent years.

Forestry expert Chris Perley said the essence of the changes was ''the loss of rural fire management focus on risk reduction, maintaining readiness, response, and recovery, as well as the loss of expertise ... essential to the effectiveness of rural fire management''.

Left-leaning Greek daily Eleftherotypia had interviews with firefighters complaining about equipment and bad organisation.

''We expected 40 vehicles but only five would be there.

Instead of 40 firemen there were only 10,'' said one crew member identified as 'Argyris K.' REUTERS SLD BST1727