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A wildfire burned through a northern suburb of the Greek capital of Athens and some residents were ordered to evacuate, the country's Fire Service reported.
Residents of the town of Kryoneri, 20km northeast of Athens received three SMS messages to evacuate to safe areas, Fire Service spokesman Vassilis Vathrakoyannis told reporters.
Greek media have shown houses on fire. The spokesman said "there have been reports of damages. We will take stock when the fires have been put out".
Blazes burn trees during the wildfire. (Source: Associated Press)
"The real difficulties are ahead of us," Vathrakoyannis said, adding that Greece has asked for six firefighting planes from the European Union's Civil Protection Mechanism.
On site, 145 firefighters and 44 fire engines, 10 firefighting planes and seven helicopters are attempting to put out the fire, the origin is unknown. Four ambulances are treating at least five residents, most of them elderly with respiratory problems.
Temperatures reaching, or exceeding, 38C, dry conditions and high winds are fanning the flames.
Firefighters try to extinguish a fire at a house during the wildfire. (Source: Associated Press)
Under such conditions wildfires "expand very quickly and become dangerous. These conditions are expected to prevail over the coming days," Vathrakoyannis said.
The fire service is also dealing with three other major fires in the southwest on Greece's two largest islands — Crete in the south and Evia north of Athens — and also on the island of Kythera, northwest of Crete.
Images showed flames and smoke billowing into the sky close to high-rise apartment buildings in Antalya, where local and foreign visitors flock during the summer months.
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Saturday 7:00pm
The flames have burned through forest and farmland in Crete’s Ierapetra area on the island’s southern coast.
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Thu, Jul 3
A new wildfire in Greece prompted evacuations in coastal areas south of Athens on Saturday, as firefighters in neighbouring Türkiye continued to battle fire in at least five locations.
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Sat, Jul 5
At least 335 firefighters, 19 planes and 13 helicopters are involved, but can only operate in daylight. In total, 52 wildfires broke out across the country over the past 24 hours, the spokesman said.
Wildfires, many of them destructive, have become a common occurrence in Greece in recent years. Several have broken out in the past month.
