Lightning strikes kill cattle, start fires in Greece during heat wave

THESSALONIKI, Greece -- Lightning strikes in northern Greece killed cattle and started fires during a dayslong heat wave affecting most of southern Europe.

Several fires were reported near the city of Kozani, 450 kilometers (280 miles) north of Athens following a dry thunderstorm in the area, authorities said Saturday.

Further north, near the Greek town of Florina, officials from a public agricultural insurance organization said nine cows were killed by lightning strikes at a cattle farm and several other animals were injured.

Cattle farm owner Alexandros Tsikos told The Associated Press that he found the animals dead in a grazing area next to the cattle barn.

Temperatures eased slightly Saturday but remained as high as 40 Celsius (104 Fahrenheit) in parts of the country, while the risk of wildfires was very high outside Athens and in much of southern Greece.