Wildfire burns through Athens suburb as residents told to evacuate
Residents of Kryoneri, 12.5 miles northeast of Athens, received three SMS messages to evacuate to safe areas, fire service spokesman Vassilis Vathrakoyannis told reporters.
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Greek media have shown houses on fire. The spokesman said 'there have been reports of damage. We will take stock when the fires have been put out'.
'The real difficulties are ahead of us,' Mr Vathrakoyannis said, adding that Greece has asked for six firefighting planes from the European Union's civil protection mechanism.
A house burns in Kryoneri (Yorgos Karahalis/AP)
On site, 145 firefighters and 44 fire engines, 10 firefighting planes and seven helicopters are attempting to put out the fire, the origin of which is unknown.
Four ambulances are treating at least five people, most of them elderly, for respiratory problems.
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Temperatures reaching, or exceeding, 38C, dry conditions and high winds are fanning the flames.
Under such conditions wildfires 'expand very quickly and become dangerous. These conditions are expected to prevail over the coming days', Mr 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.
At least 335 firefighters, 19 planes and 13 helicopters are involved, but can only operate in daylight.
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Fifty-two 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.
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