Wildfire rages outside Athens, residents urged to flee

Dozens of Greek firefighters struggled on Monday to tame a wildfire that raged through a thick forest near a village northeast of Athens that has forced authorities to order evacuations.

Assisted by 17 aircraft and 30 engines, 120 firefighters were deployed to the village of Ano Souli, some 40 kilometres (25 miles) from Athens. Residents of the village and the nearby town of Marathonas were ordered to leave their homes.

Sitting at Europe's hot southernmost tip, Greece has felt the economic and environmental impact of frequent wildfires and floods in recent years that scientists say has been exacerbated by a fast-changing climate.

The country has spent hundreds of millions of euros to compensate households and farmers for damage related to extreme weather and acquire new and modern firefighting equipment to deal with wildfires, which have become harder to tame amid rising summer temperatures.

Greece has hired a record number of firefighters this year in anticipation of a difficult fire season.

One of Europe's largest wildfires on record burnt for weeks in northern Greece in 2023, killing at least 20 people. Last year a destructive wildfire barreled down from a mountain to built-up areas on the edge of Athens, forcing residents to flee.