A fast-spreading wildfire continued to rage close to the Greek capital of Athens on Monday, prompting authorities to ask residents to evacuate their homes.
More than 500 firefighters, 152 vehicles, 29 water-bombing aircraft and a large number of volunteers are working to extinguish the blaze, which broke out Sunday near the town of Varnavas, north of Athens, fire authorities said.
Despite overnight efforts to contain the wildfire, officials warned Monday that it had “developed rapidly” and was heading towards Penteli, around 16 kilometers (about 10 miles) northeast of Athens.
Fires officials have not said how big the fire is, but Greek public broadcaster ERT estimates it exceeds 30 kilometers (about 19 miles).
Although wildfires are common in Greek summers, climate scientists say that unusually hot and dry weather linked to global warming make the blazes fiercer and more common. Greek authorities have battled dozens of blazes already this summer after enduring its hottest June and July on record.
The country’s climate crisis and civil protection minister, Vassilis Kikilias, warned over the weekend that “extremely high and dangerous weather conditions” would continue through Thursday.
