Law enforcement officials have arrested two men in connection with a deadly shooting in the northern Athens suburb of Thrakomakedones last month appears to be have been linked to a growing underworld conflict over drug trafficking which has resulted in the arrests of two men The gunmen reportedly opened fire as the victims were leaving a local café Police suspect that the Thrakomakedones shooting may be linked to a similar assassination that occurred last May in Vyronas in which a 32-year-old Albanian citizen was killed The man killed in the Thrakomakedones shooting had a criminal record having been accused in 2009 of being part of a team of bouncers he had not come into conflict with the authorities He was reportedly the owner of a café in Peristeri was reportedly nearby when his father was killed The 45-year-old man who survived the Thrakomakedones shooting presented a passport to authorities Both Greek and Albanian police have reported that he has an extensive criminal record and has been allegedly involved with the so-called Greek Mafia Enter your information below to receive our weekly newsletters with the latest insights opinion pieces and current events straight to your inbox Greece — Wildfires rampaged through Greek forests for yet another day Saturday threatening homes and triggering more evacuations a day after hundreds of people were plucked off beaches by ferries in a dramatic overnight rescue One volunteer firefighter has died and at least 20 people have been treated in hospitals Dozens of fires were burning across the country Saturday blazes that one official described as “a biblical catastrophe.” businesses and farms have been burnt over the last week in fires that broke out during Greece’s most protracted and intense heat wave in three decades One massive fire advanced up the slopes of Mount Parnitha a national park north of Athens that features some of the last substantial forests near the Greek capital The blaze sent choking smoke across Athens where authorities set up a hotline for residents with breathing problems fire crews struggled to contain constant flare-ups Residents evacuate the area with their animals as a wildfire rages in the suburb of Thrakomakedones In apocalyptic scenes that went into the night small ferries and other boats evacuated 1,400 people from a seaside village and beaches on Evia forested mountains popular with tourists and campers after approaching flames cut off other means of escape towering flames and smoke blanketed the hills The scale of Greece’s wildfires has been breathtaking with more than 100 breaking out across the country over the past few days consuming homes and causing untold ecological damage A local official in the Mani region of the Peloponnese estimated the wildfire there had destroyed around 70% of her area We’re talking about three-quarters of the municipality,” East Mani Deputy Mayor Drakoulakou told state broadcaster ERT Other local officials and residents in southern Greece appealing live on air for more firefighting help Civil Protection chief Nikos Hardalias said firefighters were battling 55 active fires by Saturday afternoon Locals try to extinguish a wildfire burning near the village of Metochi “We’re continuing to fight a very big battle All night our forces worked hard,” Hardalias said adding that he expected the fire north of Athens to be contained six helicopters and 215 vehicles were working to extinguish the flames north of Athens 475 firefighters and 35 ground teams were operating including Romanian and Ukrainian firefighters while the navy was providing a torpedo boat two landing craft and 15 smaller boats to assist in sea evacuations if necessary Greece requested help through the European Union’s emergency support system Firefighters and aircraft were sent from France Egypt said Saturday it was sending two helicopters while 36 Czech firefighters with 15 vehicles left for Greece and Greek authorities said Spain was also sending a plane Fires described as the worst in decades have also swept through stretches of neighboring Turkey’s southern coast for the past 10 days The top Turkish forestry official said 217 fires had been brought under control since July 28 in over half of the country’s provinces but firefighters still worked Saturday to tame six fires in two Turkish provinces Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis visited the fire department’s headquarters in Athens Saturday and expressed his “deep sadness for what has happened.” Securing aid for everyone affected by the wildfires would be “my first political priority,” he said promising that all burnt areas would be declared reforestation zones we will turn all our attention to repairing the damage as fast as possible and in restoring our natural environment again,” Mitsotakis said Greece has been baked by its most protracted heat wave in 30 years with temperatures soaring to 45 degrees Celsius (113 degrees Fahrenheit) Temperatures eased Friday but the winds picked up Evacuation orders for villages and neighborhoods have been constant sent by push alerts to mobile phones in affected areas while some police and firefighters have gone door-to-door urging people to leave The causes of the fires are under investigation Hardalias said three people were arrested Friday — in the greater Athens area central and southern Greece — on suspicion of starting blazes Police said the suspect detained north of Athens had allegedly lit fires at three separate spots in the area ravaged by the large blaze Greek and European officials also have blamed climate change for the large number of fires burning through southern Europe some fires appeared to be under control Saturday and cooling efforts were ongoing The forestry minister said blazes continued in the Milas area Environmental groups urged authorities to protect the forests of Sandras Mountain from nearby fires at least six neighborhoods were evacuated due to a wildfire in western Aydin province where shifty winds were making containment efforts difficult said a wildfire was still burning around the Eynif plain Massive fires also have been burning across Siberia in northern Russia for weeks forcing the evacuation Saturday of a dozen villages wildfires have burned nearly 15 million acres this year in Russia In the United States, hot, bone-dry, gusty weather has also fueled devastating wildfires in California. 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Subscribe to Here's the Deal with Lisa Desjardins ShareGet SBS News daily and direct to your InboxSign up now for the latest news from Australia and around the world direct to your inbox.Your email address *Morning (Mon–Fri) Greek authorities began taking stock of the scale of the destruction left behind by a massive wildfire in the northern suburbs of Athens that was still active for a second day on Wednesday though contained to a certain degree Thousands of residents and vacationers had to be evacuated in Varybobi the Olympic Village and Kryoneri as the blaze swept through dense vegetation businesses and homes from midday Tuesday through Wednesday morning A fireman douses embers at the Fourth Elementary School of Varybobi in northern Athens A woman talks on her cellphone as she walks away from a burned house in Varybobi A man inspects the damage at an events hall in Varybobi that had been prepared to host a wedding A helicopter dumps water onto a section of forestland on the outskirts of Varybobi as efforts continued to contain the blaze to one front from the three it had broken into overnight on Tuesday A firetruck races along a country road through scorched trees and electricity poles in northern Athens early on Wednesday morning The fire caused blackouts and voltage fluctuations in many parts of Athens on Tuesday Stray dogs are seen in the front yard of a burned home in Varybobi The situation with the fires in northeastern Attica remains difficult as the front is burning uncontrollably with the Fire Brigade giving a titanic battle with the flames the flames are still in Thrakomakedones and Varybombi The air assets started operating very early in the morning The ground forces were pursuing throughout the night the difficult task of limiting the fire until the air assets were available again a 112 alert message was sent for the evacuation of the areas of Agia Skepi The night was a nightmare for the inhabitants of Varybombi and Thrakomakedones as the big fire that has been burning since Thursday See Also: Volunteer firefighter dead according to the information of the Fire Brigade 720 firefighters are operating with 40 groups of ground units 80 firefighters from France and 16 from Israel provide assistance as ground units assistance is provided by the Hellenic Army with infantry units as well as water tankers and heavy equipment from local government Follow en.protothema.gr on Google News and be the first to know all the news See all the latest News from Greece and the World, the moment they happen, at en.protothema.gr