Hundreds flee homes as wildfire rages near Athens, Greece

The blaze sent smoke over the capital and prompted multiple evacuations near Tatoi, 20km (12.5 miles) north of Athens.

Hundreds of residents living near a forest area north of Athens fled their homes as a wildfire reached residential areas, fuelled by Greece’s worst heatwave in decades. The blaze on Tuesday sent smoke over the capital and prompted multiple evacuations near Tatoi, 20km (12.5 miles) north of Athens. Many residents left their homes in cars and on motorcycles and headed towards the capital as smoke blanketed residential areas. “It is a large fire and it will take a lot of work to get this under control,” greater Athens regional governor George Patoulis told state-run ERT television.