Vassilis Vathrakogiannis

A general view of the of Athens with the Acropolis hill as fire burns the northern part of the city on Monday, Aug. 12, 2024, while hundreds of firefighters tackle a major wildfire raging out of control on fringes of Greek capital.

Greece ordered the evacuation of hospitals and homes near Athens Monday as wildfires spread despite "superhuman" efforts to combat the flames, the fire brigade said.

At least five more communities were told to flee by civil protection authorities, after hundreds of people evacuated Sunday from at least eight villages.

An overnight battle with flames is being fought by ground firefighters in Evia, with the extinguishing work being hampered by strong winds blowing in the area.

The number of agroforestry fires that occurred in the last 24 hours of which 43 were immediately treated at their initial stage, while firefighting forces continue to deal with 11 fires, as the Fire Brigade’s spokesman, Fire Brigadier Vassilis Vathrakogiannis, stressed a short while ago during an emergency briefing.

With no active front is the fire that broke out yesterday afternoon in a forest area in Stimanga, Corinthia, but firefighting forces remain in the area as there are scattered outbreaks.

It is recalled that shortly after 19.00 a message was sent by “112” to those in the area to be on standby to evacuate.

Tuesday's fires in Patra and Menidi, west Attica, started from uncleaned plots of land, fire service spokesperson Vassilis Vathrakogiannis stated to Kathimerini on Thursday.

According to Vathrakogiannis, in Patra, the fire started from an uncleaned plot at the edge of the city and then quickly spread, while in Menidi it started from the uncleaned yard of a factory.

A wildfire is raging uncontrolled on the island of Serifos, aided by strong winds.

The fire erupted around 6 p.m. Saturday and is burning mostly low growth so far.

Scores of firefighters and water-bombing aircraft succeeded late Wednesday in taming a large wildfire on the fringes of Athens that forced authorities to evacuate two nearby settlements.

The fire service said the blaze near Athens - one of dozens all over the country Wednesday - had been largely contained but firefighters would remain on alert all evening to stop it reviving.