Greece: Wildfire rages out of control just outside Athens as temperatures in capital near 40C

Residents of at least 11 towns and villages were forced to evacuate their homes as a massive wildfire approached Athens, Greek authorities said.

Smoke encroached on the Greek capital after the fire, fuelled by windy weather and temperatures nearing 40C, saw homes, cars and trees burn in surrounding areas.

The situation was exacerbated by gale-force winds, which caused the fire to spread “like lightning”.

"The village was surrounded in no time, in no time. It's really windy," Varnavas resident Katerina Fylaktou told Reuters. "It started from one point and suddenly the whole village was surrounded," she said.

More than 560 firefighters battled the blaze as flames soared up to 25m in height. Teams were backed by volunteers, 17 waterbombing planes and 15 helicopters.

By Monday morning, the fire had spread southward and was burning on several fronts, hitting villages and towns including Grammatiko and Marathon.

It had also reached Mount Penteli, the area that saw at least three hospitals evacuated.

The wildfire is one of hundreds that has broken out since May. Though common already in Greece, they are becoming more frequent and intense due to extraordinarily hot and dry weather, scientists have said.

With Greece forecast to record its hottest-ever summer, authorities are on high fire alert until Thursday, while weather experts have warned of a "very difficult week".

"Half of Greece will be in the red," Climate Crisis and Civil Protection Minister Vassilis Kikilias said on Saturday citing temperatures of around 40 Celsius amid strong wind.

Following the chaos on Sunday, Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis has returned to Athens from a weekend break in Crete to oversee the response to the blaze, a government official said.

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