full screen A fire rages about three miles southeast of the Greek capital, Athens. Archive image from a forest fire in Greece in the summer of 2022. Photo: Panagiotis Balaskas/AP/TT
A forest fire is raging outside the Greek capital Athens, reports the country’s rescue service.
A number of nearby coastal towns have been advised to carry out evacuations as a precaution.
The fire started in the town of Kouvaras, which is located just under three miles southeast of Athens.
– It is a difficult fire, the winds are very strong with gusts of up to 60 kilometers per hour, says Yannis Artopios, spokesperson for the rescue service.
The widespread heat wave that is ongoing in parts of Europe has also affected Greece, which recorded temperatures of up to 44 degrees Celsius in the central parts of the country.