Greece wildfire: One dead as wildfires rage out of control in the suburbs of Athens with conditions to remain dangerous this week
One person has died as fierce wildfires spread in the suburbs of Athens in Greece.
The body, believed to be that of a woman, was found inside a shop in the town of Vrilissia, northern Athens, a source from the fire service told the BBC. Fires are expected to continue today (Tuesday 13 August) after starting on Sunday (11 August).
Thousands of people have been evacuated after firefighters warned that homes, businesses and schools were under threat. Fire service spokesman Col Vassilios Vathrakogiannis said while there was no longer a single active fire front in the north-eastern Attica region, which includes parts of Athens, there were still "many active localised blazes", mostly around the towns of Marathon and Penteli.
In a statement released on Monday evening, he added that conditions for new fires remained dangerous not only on Tuesday, but also for further into the week. More than 700 firefighters, 199 fire engines and 35 waterbombing aircraft have been involved in efforts to extinguish the fires.
Col Vathrakogiannis said two firefighters had received treatment for burns while fighting the blazes. Officials said fires broke out in 40 different locations on Monday and that some areas saw flames as high as 25m (82ft).
Spain, Italy, Turkey, Romania and Canada are expected to offer help, with France also providing a Super Puma utility helicopter and the Czech Republic sending 75 firefighters and 25 vehicles. The blaze raging around Mount Penteli, and the adjoining Athens suburb of the same name, has led to the evacuations of three hospitals. In unprecedented scenes, people in Athens wore facemasks to protect themselves from the smoke, which blew into the city.