Wildfires continue to rage near Athens

Hundreds of Greek firefighters continued for a second day on Tuesday 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, reported Xinhua, quoting authorities.

No injuries have been reported, but the blazes scorched forested areas and forced the evacuation of six settlements, Fire Service spokesperson Vasilios Vathrakogiannis said in a press release.

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

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.

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, Vathrakogiannis said.