DRAGGED FROM THE FLAMES

RED Cross volunteers arrived by lifeboat to haul families trapped by wildfires in Greece to safety as flames swept all the way to the sea.

- BY NADA FARHOUD Environment Editor

A video released by the Hellenic Red Cross shows people in the water being pulled aboard as a dark, ash-filled sky looms overhead and flames rage.

The rescue operation unfolded in Vrachneika, Achaia, after the blaze broke out at noon on Tuesday and continued to burn until Wednesday.

The Athens national observatory said fires in the Patras area, the Aegean island of Chios, the Ionian island of Zakynthos and near the western city of Preveza had burned more than 25,000 acres.

Three people were arrested in connection with the Patras fire, which authorities said may have been deliberately set.