Homes saved as firebreaks halt blaze on Greek island

A firefighting plane throws water near the village of Krestena south of Ancient Olympia (ilialive.gr via AP)

Firebreaks dug outside evacuated villages on the Greek island of Lesbos have halted a wildfire that had threatened scores of homes, authorities said.

The overnight work by fire crews and local workers, using excavators and other heavy machinery, took place before six water-dropping planes returned to the southern coast of the eastern Aegean Sea island where the fire was burning for a third day.