Fire outside Athens brought under control
A major wildfire that encroached the hillside suburbs outside the Greek capital since Tuesday has been largely brought under control, authorities say.
Officials say there is no active front at the moment, although hundreds of firefighters assisted by 19 aircraft remain around Mount Penteli, 25 kilometres (16 miles) northeast of Athens, to prevent further flair-ups.
Strong winds are forecast to persist until Wednesday afternoon.
At least 34 people were hospitalized with breathing problems or minor burns, while local officials said several houses were burned in the blaze.
Nine settlements were evacuated. One hospital and the National Observatory of Athens were also evacuated and police helped at least 600 residents out of fire-stricken areas.
“The conditions are very challenging. The priority is to safeguard human life, critical infrastructure and private property,” Fire Service spokesman Yiannis Artopios said.
Greece has avoided the heat wave that is currently afflicting countries in western Europe, but fire officials say that hot and dry conditions that have lasted for weeks, as well as longer-term temperature rises, have increased the overall risk of forest fires.
Last year, wildfires ravaged about 300,000 acres (nearly 470 sq miles) of forest and bushland in different parts of Greece as the country experienced its worst heatwave in 30 years.
[Combined reports]
