Greece wildfires rage near Athens

Thick grey smoke engulfed Mount Pentelicus that dominates Athens on Monday as the Greek capital battled the infernal fallout from what promises to be its hottest summer on record.

A 30-kilometer (20-mile) long line of fires, some with flames more than 25 meters (80 feet) high, was moving towards Athens, the ERT public broadcaster reported.

One has already engulfed the mountain that is known for producing the marble used in the Acropolis and other ancient buildings in Athens.

The nearby historic town of Marathon has also been ordered evacuated.

Brick homes on roads leading out of Marathon had huge black stains up the sides of their walls left by the flames. The roofs on many had also been burnt away.

At Dione, the fire burned cars and crept up apartment blocks. Some residents said they fled in their cars just as the flames sped up to their homes.

People in Penteli, an Athens suburb at the foot of the 1,109-meter (3,605-foot) high mountain, could only watch helplessly as fierce summer winds pushed flames toward their homes and up the slopes of Pentelicus.

Thick smoke from burning trees filled a small square in Penteli where local resident Mariana Papathanasi said they could only pray that their houses would be saved.

(Source: AFP)


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