The fire in Athens broke out on brush land on Mount Hymettus around midday, near the northeastern district of Kareas, and later spread to the outskirts of residential areas.
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Dozens of firefighters are trying to tackle a wildfire which sent thick smoke billowing into the sky above the Greek capital.
Firefighters in Greece are battling wildfires on the eastern outskirts of Athens, and more fires in the southern Peloponnese peninsula which have forced villagers to flee.
The fire burning in the Lakonia area on the tip of Greece’s southern Peloponnese Friday was being fanned by strong winds. Strong winds were helping the flames devour parts of the verdant hillside popular with day-trippers. Thirty firefighters with 10 vehicles and at least one helicopter were battling it, the fire department said.
A fire-fighting plane was forced to make an emergency landing near Neapoli but the two pilots escaped with only minor injuries.
After a lull, the fire’s northern front rekindled, sending flames racing up the mountainside.
During his visit to the emergency fire department, Panousis informed Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras of the plea for support from France and Italy, the Athens News Agency reported.
Firefighters were also battling a smaller blaze in Koropi, near Athens, and another on the island of Evia, east of the capital. Two water-dropping planes had taken off from Thessaloniki, the country’s second largest city, to assist with the Athens blaze.
“All forces are on alert”, Tsipras said, noting that the hot, dry and windy conditions made firefighting more hard.
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Forest and bush fires are common during Greece’s hot, dry summers.
