PHOTO / WORLD
Wildfires continue to rage near Athens
By Xinhua Published: Jul 20, 2023 09:49 AM
This photo taken on July 18, 2023 shows a helicopter trying to extinguish a wildfire in Mandra, a western suburb of Athens, Greece. 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, authorities said.(Photo: Xinhua)

This photo taken on July 18, 2023 shows a helicopter trying to extinguish a wildfire in Mandra, a western suburb of Athens, Greece. 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, authorities said.(Photo: Xinhua)


 
This photo taken on July 18, 2023 shows burned trees and smoke following a wildfire in Mandra, a western suburb of Athens, Greece. 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, authorities said.(Photo: Xinhua)

This photo taken on July 18, 2023 shows burned trees and smoke following a wildfire in Mandra, a western suburb of Athens, Greece. 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, authorities said.(Photo: Xinhua)


 
People try to put out a wildfire that burned a house in Mandra, a western suburb of Athens, Greece, July 18, 2023. 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, authorities said.(Photo: Xinhua)

People try to put out a wildfire that burned a house in Mandra, a western suburb of Athens, Greece, July 18, 2023. 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, authorities said.(Photo: Xinhua)


 
This photo taken on July 18, 2023 shows a firefighting aircraft dropping water to put out a wildfire in Pournari, a western suburb of Athens, Greece. 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, authorities said.(Photo: Xinhua)

This photo taken on July 18, 2023 shows a firefighting aircraft dropping water to put out a wildfire in Pournari, a western suburb of Athens, Greece. 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, authorities said.(Photo: Xinhua)


 
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, authorities said.

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.