Greece: Wildfires Continue for Second Day Near Athens

On Tuesday, Greek authorities stated that hundreds of firefighters continued for a second day to battle two major wildfires near Dervenochoria, some 30 km northwest of Athens, and near the seaside resort of Loutraki, about 80 km southwest of the capital.

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In a press release, Fire Service spokesperson Vasilios Vathrakogiannis stated that no injuries have been reported, but the blazes scorched forested areas and forced the evacuation of six settlement.

According to Vathrakogiannis, Greece expects two water-dropping aircraft from Italy and another two from France to assist in firefighting efforts.

According to official reports, weather conditions are forecast to remain difficult in the coming days and the risk of further fires in Attica and other regions of Greece remain high.

The fire, which started from Dervenochoria on Monday, has been fueled by strong winds measuring up to 7 on the Beaufort scale; it expanded several kilometers to the south on Tuesday, approaching Mandra, a western suburb of Athens.

On Monday, at least five settlements, along with a number of popular coastal resorts, in the southeastern administrative region of Attica had to be evacuated.

Official data shows that a total of 81 wildfires have broken out across Greece since Sunday, but four blazes were the most challenging for the fire fighting forces.