A wildfire broke out last night in the Krioneri suburb, about 20 kilometers northeast of Athens, the Greek fire service said, as quoted by the Associated Press. Local residents have been evacuated, BTA reports.
A spokesman for the service, Vassilis Vatrakoiannis, told reporters that residents in the area had received three text messages with instructions to immediately evacuate to safe areas.
Greek media broadcast footage of homes engulfed in flames. Vatrakoiannis confirmed that there was damage, the exact extent of which will be determined once the fire is under control. "The real challenges lie ahead," he warned, adding that Greece had requested six firefighting aircraft from the European Union's Civil Protection Mechanism.
The fire is being fought on site by 145 firefighters with 44 fire engines, 10 aircraft and 7 helicopters. The cause of the fire has not yet been determined. Four ambulances have treated at least five people, mostly adults with breathing difficulties.
Temperatures in the region have exceeded 38°C, and dry weather and strong winds are further spreading the flames.
However, the fires are not limited to the Athens area. Greek firefighting forces are battling several large outbreaks across the country in the southwest, as well as on the two largest islands of Crete (to the south) and Evia (to the north of the capital), as well as on the island of Kythira, northwest of Crete. A total of 335 firefighters with 19 aircraft and 13 helicopters are trying to control the flames, with aerial equipment only allowed to be used during daylight hours.
In the past 24 hours, 52 new forest fires have been registered in the country, Vatrakoiannis also reported.
Forest fires have become a frequent and destructive phenomenon in Greece in recent years. In the last month alone, the country has experienced numerous fire disasters.