Wildfire spreads near Athens amid scorching heat, prompting evacuations

(LONDON) — Hundreds of firefighters were battling fast-moving wildfires Monday near Athens amid scorching temperatures throughout Greece, emergency and weather officials said, as evacuations are underway in the region.

Government officials warned of a high fire hazard in several areas, including the Athens peninsula and the Boeotia region northwest of it.

Both areas were among those where the risk category was raised to five, meaning there’s an extreme risk of fire, weather officials said in a statement released Sunday.

Dozens of blazes were burning Monday along the edges of a fire that broke out in Varnavas on Sunday afternoon, Col. Vassilios Vathrakogiannis, of the country’s fire service, said in a statement .

That fire had been buffeted by strong winds, he said, adding they were “making the work of civil protection forces on the ground extremely difficult.”

More than 700 firefighters and nearly 200 vehicles were working with the Civil Protection agencies, he said. Eighteen helicopters and 17 other firefighting aircraft had been in use since the Varnavas blaze began spreading.

Two firefighters were injured, Vathrakogiannis said. One had minor burns and the other had respiratory issues, he said. Thirteen other people have been provided medical care for minor respiratory issues, he said.

Countries including France, Italy and the Czech Republic are sending assistance, including firefighters and vehicles, officials said.

Officials have issued evacuation orders for several towns north and northwest of Athens, including New and Old Penteli, Patima Chalandriou, Patima Vrilission, Krasa Ano Vrilission, as well as from Dionysos and Marathon, Vathrakogiannis said.

More than 30,000 residents were ordered to evacuate from Marathon toward the neighboring beach town of Nea Makri, according to Reuters.

More than 250 people were evacuated with the help of police officers near Athens, the Greek Police said on social media. About 380 officers were working in the area, with dozens of vehicles and two-wheelers, police said.

Local emergency responders were notified they should be “on increased civil protection readiness in order to face any fire incidents immediately,” the Ministry of Climate Crisis and Civil Protection said.

Temperatures near Athens were expected to climb on Monday to about 95 degrees Fahrenheit, before spiking to about 100 degrees on Tuesday and Wednesday, according to the Hellenic National Meteorological Center.

ABC News’ Ellie Kaufman contributed to this report.

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