Towns and villages around Athens are being evacuated as wildfires threaten to consume communities around the Greek capital.
The authorities on Monday ordered the evacuation of hospitals, a monastery and more than a dozen areas as a large fire approached. The blaze, which hundreds of firefighters are battling, is just the latest in a summer that has Greece baking in record temperatures.
The fire was burning on two separate fronts with some parts in particularly difficult to reach areas on a mountain northeast of Athens, Climate Crisis and Civil Protection Minister Vassilis Kikilias said.
“Despite a hard battle and the superhuman efforts overnight, the fire spread very fast and has reached Mount Penteli,” a fire brigade official told the Reuters news agency.
Authorities were faced with “an exceptionally dangerous fire, which we have been fighting for more than 20 hours under dramatic circumstances,” Kikilias said. Conditions were exacerbated by strong winds.
A children’s hospital, military hospital, two monasteries and a children’s home were evacuated early on Monday while evacuation orders were issued for more than a dozen areas and several Athens suburbs. Three Athens hospitals were put on heightened alert to treat any potential injuries.
Police assisted with evacuations, and some residents spent the night in shelters. Local media reported two firefighters were slightly injured while several civilians were treated for smoke inhalation.
The fire department said 670 firefighters, backed by 27 teams trained to tackle wildfires and including more than 80 members of the armed forces, were battling the flames. More than 180 vehicles were deployed while more than 30 water-dropping planes and helicopters were providing aerial support.
The blaze, with flames as high as 25 metres (82ft), spread “like lightning” due to gale-force winds, fire brigade spokesperson Vassilis Vathrakogiannis said on Sunday.
Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis rushed back to Athens from the island of Crete to oversee response efforts, a government official said.
Authorities are working to prevent a tragedy like that of 2018 when a fire killed 104 people in the seaside town of Mati near the capital.
Increasingly hot and dry weather linked to climate change has made wildfires more frequent and intense across Europe, according to scientists.
June and July this year were the hottest months ever recorded in Greece, which also recorded its warmest winter ever. Fires have plagued the country throughout the summer.
“Half of Greece will be in the red,” Kikilias said over the weekend as he warned of temperatures of about 40 degrees Celsius (104 degrees Fahrenheit).