Fires threaten Athens’ hillside suburbs for second day

Nearly 500 firefighters are struggling to contain a large wildfire that is threatening hillside suburbs outside Athens for a second day, after hundreds of residents were evacuated overnight.

At least two people were admitted to hospital with breathing problems and minor burns, while local officials said several houses had been burned in the fire around Mount Penteli, 25 kilometres (16 miles) north-east of the Greek capital.

“The conditions are very challenging. The priority was to safeguard human life, critical infrastructure and private property,” fire service spokesman Yiannis Artopios said.

He said winds of up to 80 kilometres per hour (50mph) were making air support difficult for fire crews.

Greece has avoided the heatwave that is currently afflicting countries in western Europe, but fire officials say that hot and dry conditions that have lasted for weeks, as well as longer-term temperature rises, have increased the overall risk of forest fires.

More than 1,300 square kilometres (500 square miles) of land was damaged by wildfires in Greece last year, the worst damage recorded since 2007.