Sawt Falasteen - Greece contains new wind-driven fire near Athens

The fire, fed by winds of more than 70 kilometres an hour (43 miles per hour), began around 8:00 am local time (0500 GMT) in Kouvaras, 60 kilometres southeast of Athens.

Authorities immediately deployed a major response of nearly 200 firefighters, around 40 vehicles supported by two water‑bombing planes and four helicopters.

Three hours later, the flames had subsided and the situation appeared much better, an AFP photographer observed.

Early in the afternoon, "the situation has greatly improved," the fire service press office reported.

"There is no active front, but we are maintaining our presence in the area, where temperatures remain high with strong gusts of wind," the same source said.

The warehouse of a livestock farm was destroyed by the flames, according to images from Ertnews, which showed firefighters battling the fire on a mountainside farm. Several residential areas had to be evacuated.

The blaze Monday marks the second fire near Athens this summer. One that broke out 10 days ago northwest of the Greek capital destroyed more than 11,000 hectares of pine forests and farmland.

A large part of the country faces a very high fire risk Monday due to summer heat, with temperatures of up to 37C in the Attica region combined with strong gusts.

Like much of the Mediterranean, Greece has experienced increasingly frequent and intense wildfires that scientists link to climate change.

Greece remains on maximum alert on Monday, with several regions classified as being at a very high fire risk -- level four on a five-point scale.

Experts have warned about the increased severity of the fires affecting Attica, where Athens is located.

From 2017 to 2026, 42 percent of the total forest area in the region burned because of 15 major fires.

N.Shalabi--SF-PST