People evacuated as wildfire on outskirts of Athens damages homes

A wildfire raged out of control on the outskirts of Athens on Saturday, damaging houses and cars, the fire department said.

Fanned by strong winds, the blaze quickly spread across the slopes of Mount Hymettus which overlooks the Greek capital, sending thick clouds of smoke over the southern suburbs.

As a precaution, civil protection authorities evacuated some parts of the Voula and Glyfada regions about 20km from Athens centre.

A Reuters witness saw at least two houses severely damaged by the fire.

“Due to the intense north winds the fire quickly spread and approached the city,” fire department spokesperson Yiannis Artopios said in a briefing.

“We ask our fellow citizens to be very careful,” he added.

More than 130 firefighters aided by six firefighting aircraft and four helicopters dropped tonnes of water in an attempt to douse the blaze, which has raged for more than seven hours.

A spate of wildfires scorched about 300,000 acres of forest and bushland in different parts of Greece last summer, amid the country’s worst heatwave in 30 years. — Reuters