Several villages were evacuated and major roads, including the highway between Sparta and the town of Kalamata in the south, were closed. Local television footage showed residents with garden hoses joining firefighters to battle the flames.
Prime Minister Costas Karamanlis, who faces early elections in three weeks' time, headed to the worst affected parts.
``We are witnessing a national tragedy,'' said opposition Socialist party leader George Papandreou. ``We look on with anger at these scenes of biblical destruction.''
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