Greek villagers demand help after fires

By Renee Maltezou

ARTEMIDA, Greece (Reuters) - Among the charred remains of homes and fields, villagers lay flowers on the graves of their dead and say they are losing hope of ever resurrecting their lives from the ashes of last summer's Greek wildfires.

The blazes, which raged for 10 days and were the worst in memory, killed 65 people, destroyed homes and obliterated olive trees, vineyards, and half of the forests in the southern Peloponnese peninsula.

Politicians declared a state of emergency and promised millions of euros in aid, just weeks before a general election. But a year later, with the vote safely out of the way, villagers say almost nothing has been done.

Some people fear the blazes may have dealt a death-blow to hoteliers, olive-oil producers and farmers who saw 180,000 hectares (445,000 acres) of land on the Peloponnese turn black.

Many communities were already struggling to survive in one of the poorest regions in the euro zone. Some residents had long accused the government of neglecting rural areas, leaving young people to seek better lives in cities.

"We are completely forgotten by everyone. A year has gone by and I'm thinking of just picking up and leaving. I have no life here," said Aris Vassopoulos, 34, a restaurant owner who saw his business and home in the village of Artemida go up in flames.

Greece's largest jewelry maker Folli-Follie paid for the reconstruction of his restaurant -- one of several businesses to fund reconstruction -- but it stands empty as Vassopoulos says he has still received no compensation from the government to equip it.

Twenty-six of 110 villagers perished in Artemida in the southwest Ilia region, which was the hardest hit by the fires. Most of those killed, including a mother and her four children, died as they fled the burning village in cars.