ATHENS (Reuters) – A fire broke on Monday on a mountain near the port town of Lavrio outside Athens, prompting the evacuation of homes in the area.
At least 71 firefighters were battling the blaze, about 60 km (37 miles) south of Athens, assisted by six water-bombing planes and four helicopters.
The fire broke out in an area of low vegetation, but strong winds were blowing in the area as crews tried to contain its spread to nearby pine trees.
More than 500 wildfires have broken out across Greece in recent weeks during a severe and protracted heatwave that sent temperatures soaring to around 45 degrees Celsius (113 Farenheit).
The biggest fire, on the island of Evia near the capital, burned for over a week earlier in August before being contained, ravaging swathes of forestland in the island’s north and forcing the evacuation of thousands of people by sea.
(Reporting by Karolina Tagaris; Editing by Ingrid Melander)
