Summary
A seaside area to the east of Athens is the latest to be evacuated as pockets of fire continue to flare up
Nea Makri is just one of the suburbs of the Greek capital to be hit by the blaze
The body, believed to be that of a woman, was discovered on Monday in a shop in the town of Vrilissia
Firefighters have been battling outbreaks to the north east of the capital city since Sunday
Conditions are expected to remain dangerous over the next few days, but a drop in winds offers hope
Live Reporting
Edited by Jamie Whitehead, with reporting from Jessica Parker in Athens
What's the latest?published at 18:55 British Summer Time 12 August
18:55 BST 12 August
Image source, GettyWe'll be closing our live coverage shortly, but before we go, here's the latest developments:
- Thousands of residents are being evacuated from their homes, as wildfires spread towards Athens
- More than 700 firefighters have been deployed, with strong winds causing flare-ups in more than 40 areas
- Fire brigade spokesman Vassilis Vathrakogiannis said winds were up to seven on the Beaufort scale, indicating a moderate gale force
- The fire fronts range from the village of Grammatikos in the north to the suburb of Penteli, just 15 km (9 miles) from the capital, where the sky is thick with smoke
- Residents say there are not enough fire trucks and firefighters, and Greek authorities have requested international assistance
- 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
You can read more about this story here.
'It looked like a storm was coming' to Athens, visitor sayspublished at 18:47 British Summer Time 12 August
18:47 BST 12 August
Rozina Sini
BBC NewsImage source, David CassidyI’ve just spoken to David Cassidy from Belfast, who flew out to Athens with his partner on Saturday.
When visiting the presidential palace yesterday, they noticed a cloud coming towards them.
“It covered the sun and thesky was the colour of a sunset but we didn’t smell any smoke or anything likethat," he tells me.
Heading back to their hotel, he says it looked like a storm was coming.
At 04:50 local time this morning he received an emergency alert on his phone, and says he has continued to get them since. They are in Greek, he adds, so he's not sure what they say.
“Everything seems to be goingas normal but you can hear sirens, there’s smoke in the air but nosign of panic.
“The lights at the hotel areflickering but I’m not sure if that’s a power surge."
They plan to fly from Athens to Santorini tonight at 20:00 local time.
"So far I’ve heard nothing about whether this willstill happen or not,” he says.
Extended outages after power poles damagedpublished at 18:35 British Summer Time 12 August
18:35 BST 12 August
Nikos Papanikolaou
Reporting from AthensAnother issue that makesthe firefighting operation more difficult are the pine cones that are launchedby the pine trees, which are on fire. We have seen houses – that are not closeto the fire front – in flames.
According to theNational Observatory of Athens, the fire in north-eastern Attica has affectedapproximately 100,000 acres, while at least 120 power poles have beendamaged, causing extended power outage in Athens.
The Greek prime minister, Kyriakos Mitsotakis, has left the meeting held earlier under the governor of Attica, Nikos Chardalias.
Elsewhere, a welfare unit in Melissia which housed 55 elderly people with disabilities has been evacuated.
Smoke rises as some cars appear to catch firepublished at 18:24 British Summer Time 12 August
18:24 BST 12 August
Jessica Parker
Reporting from AthensWe’re looking on at a northern suburb of Athens - from where smoke is rising.
You can strongly smell smoke from here as well. Not long ago we heard a seriesof what sounded like explosions.
I could even see a small ball of flame fromthis distance. It follows reports that some cars and fuel tanks have been setalight.
The latest pictures as Greece continues its battle against wildfirespublished at 18:08 British Summer Time 12 August
18:08 BST 12 August
Greece continues to mount its huge operation to tackle the wildfires as strong winds cause flare-ups in several areas.
Here's a look at some of the latest pictures this evening:
Image source, Getty ImagesImage source, ReutersImage source, Getty ImagesImage source, EPAAthens' sky thick with smoke, say residentspublished at 17:51 British Summer Time 12 August
17:51 BST 12 August
Image source, ReutersThe BBC World Service's Outside Source has been speaking with two men in the Greek capital, Ioannis and Martin.
"This morning the people of Athens woke up at 4:40am after a message stating that certain areas in the northern suburbs of Athens needed to be evacuated," says Ioannis.
"There are airplanes flying over the fires and spreading water. As we speak, the sky in Athens is grey."
Another resident, Martin, says the wildfire smoke started spreading over the city yesterday afternoon.
"The smoke has been quite bad. A lot of people have been very much rubbing their eyes," he says, "and you can smell the smoke quite badly. We know that it's about 30 minutes drive outside of Athens."
"It's a real tragedy. Every year it's getting hotter and we're getting more and more wildfires," Martin says.
"The truth is that there's not enough firefighters. The equipment they use is from the 1980s. Most of the firefighters are volunteers," he says, "and even though the government says we'll be ready for the next summer, it always appears that they never are."
Where are the wildfires?published at 17:41 British Summer Time 12 August
17:41 BST 12 August
Firefighters are battling wildfires across north-eastern Attica - with fire fronts ranging from the village of Grammatikos in the north to the suburb of Penteli, just 15km (9 miles) north of Athens.
Strong winds have caused continuous flare-ups in 40 different locations since the early hours of this morning.
The gusts of wind have also blown smoke from the wildfires over Athens - as you can see on the satellite image - where residents report breathing problems and skies filled with smoke.
Dozens of people are treated for breathing problems and one firefighter suffers burnspublished at 17:28 British Summer Time 12 August
17:28 BST 12 August
Nikos Papanikolaou
Reporting from AthensTwo fire trucks wereburned and a firefighter suffered minor burns in Neos Voutzas, as the fire israging out of control.
31 people have beentreated for breathing problems by the ambulance services, while the smoke has reached the southern suburbs of Athens.
A human chain offirefighters, volunteer firefighters, police officers and citizens are tryingto put down the fire with everything they have - in some cases with treebranches.
But some respite might be coming soon - according to theforecast of the National Observatory of Athens gradual weakening of the winds(and gusts) is expected from 18:00 local time (16:00 GMT).
Governor of Attica holds meeting to discuss next stepspublished at 17:14 British Summer Time 12 August
17:14 BST 12 August
Nikos Papanikolaou
Reporting from AthensThe governor of Attica, Nikos Chardalias, is holding a meeting this afternoon to discuss the latest wildfire developments.
Representatives of the fire brigade, the mayors and the vice mayors of the affected areas, and representatives from the municipalities of Penteli, Dionysos, Marathonas, Oropos and Rafina-Pikermio, will participate in the meeting to decide the next steps.
In the latest update by the fire brigade spokesperson, Vassilis Vathrakogiannis said the critical fronts are in Ntaou Pentelis, Old and New Penteli, Marathonas to Grammatiko, Dionysos and Patima Vrilission.
The situation looks better in Afidnes and Kalendzi but new flare-ups remain a problem as they create new fronts, which are strengthened by the strong winds.
There are currently 702 firefighters and 119 vehicles and volunteers operating along 17 aircrafts and 18 helicopters, of which three are for coordination. Thirty messages have been sent for area evacuations.
Apart from the houses and the properties, many animals have been burned - including dogs and cats.
Tourists wait in Athens airport, unsure of their next movepublished at 16:52 British Summer Time 12 August
16:52 BST 12 August
Rachel Flynn
Live reporterImage source, Nicole NituI've just been speaking to Nicole Nitu who was staying in the town of Nea Makri before being evacuated this afternoon.
Nicole, who is from the US, describes walking into the garden of her accommodation at 06:30 local time (04:30 GMT) this morning to see smoke less than 100m away.
When looking online for information she says she was reassured the area was safe, before receiving an alert on her phone and evacuating four hours later.
Nicole came to Greece for a work project, with 41 others, including a new-born baby. They are now all waiting at Athens airport.
Another member of the group tells me: "There's no safety plan here, which is just absurd to me."
Unable to change their flights and unsure where else is safe, Nicole says there is not enough clear information from authorities on what to do next.
“We really just want to be told what we need to do and where we need to go," she says.
Image source, Nicole NituGet in touchpublished at 16:33 British Summer Time 12 August
16:33 BST 12 August
Have you been affected by the wildfires?
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France and Italy send aircrafts to control firespublished at 16:16 British Summer Time 12 August
16:16 BST 12 August
Nikos Papanikolaou
Reporting from AthensHelp is expected from Italy, France, Romania and the Czech Republic after Greece requested the activation of a European cooperation mechanism.
France will send a Super Puma helicopter tomorrow and Italy a Canadair aircraft, while the Czech Republic is sending 75 firefighters along with 25 vehicles. Assistance from Spain and Turkey is also expected.
The fire has now been burning for more than 24 hours, and the firefighters are still struggling to control it.
Aircrafts only have two hours left until the sunset - after that they must land, and the firefighting operation will be exclusively on the firefighters and the fire trucks on the ground.
A firefighting helicopter had to land earlier due to a mechanical failure.
Image source, EPAWatch: Wildfires spread towards Greek capitalpublished at 16:06 British Summer Time 12 August
16:06 BST 12 August
As we've been reporting, thousands of residents are being evacuated from their homes as a large wildfire spreads towards Athens.
Emergency services say houses caught alight in Varnavas, about 20 miles north-east of the Greek capital.
The country is now on high alert, with high temperatures and strong winds expected to persist over the coming days.
Flights continue despite wildfire nearbypublished at 15:42 British Summer Time 12 August
15:42 BST 12 August
Christopher Blanchett
BBC senior weather presenterI'm waiting to board myflight home from a holiday in Greece and I just snapped this picture.
From where I am in the Athens airport terminal building, you can clearly see thicksmoke as the firesrage close by in the hills to the north of the airfield.
From a passengerperspective, there's no apparent impact on the airport operation at the moment.
Greece appeals for international helppublished at 15:26 British Summer Time 12 August
15:26 BST 12 August
Nikos Papanikolaou
Reporting from AthensGreece has appealed for international help to fight a severe wildfire that is approaching the northern outskirts of Athens.
Help is expected from Spain, Italy, Turkey and Canada, with France also providing a Super Puma utility helicopter and the Czech Republic sending 75 firefighters and 25 vehicles.
The fire has now been burning for more than 24 hours,and the firefighters are still struggling to control it.
The aircraft haveonly three hours left until sunset. After that they must land, and thefirefighting operation will be continued by the firefighters and trucks on the ground.
We are also hearing that the facilities of the National Observatory of Athens in Penteli are under threat, as the flame continues moving closer to the Greek capital.
'The air is suffocating', says Greek journalistpublished at 15:12 British Summer Time 12 August
15:12 BST 12 August
Image source, EPA"It is really hard to breathe when you are there," a Greek journalist has told the BBC's Newshour programme.
"In some areas the air is suffocating and you can see black smoke surrounding houses and neighbourhoods," says Ioannis Papadopoulos, a reporter at the Kathimerini newspaper.
Residents at the front line of the blaze told Papadopoulos that "they live in fear".
"Every summer they worry that a new fire might erupt and that they might be in danger," he says.
"In a wildfire what is crucial is the first response, how fast the firefighting teams reach the spot and try to suppress the fire," says Papadopoulos.
Whilst firefighters reportedly reached the initial blaze in just five minutes, Papadopoulos says, "what we can see is this was not enough".
"I think the problem is when our firefighting teams have to deal with two or three fires at the same time in different parts of Greece," he adds.
School engulfed in flames as wildfires continue to flare uppublished at 14:58 British Summer Time 12 August
14:58 BST 12 August
Nikos Papanikolaou
Reporting from AthensA school in Nea Penteli is now on fire - with residents complaining that there are not enough fire trucks and firefighters to help.
A new message from the 112 Emergency Communications Service has been to the residents of Dionysos to evacuate north-west toward Kifissia.
Houses and properties are on fire in the areas of Ano Vrilissia, Chalandri, and Nea Penteli. Chalandri is 8.8 km away from Athens' centre.
Vrilissia residents are calling for assistance as the flames are really close to their properties.
At the moment 34 aircrafts are operating, however, the operation remains extremely difficult as the winds remain strong and there are constant flare ups.
How is climate change affecting wildfires in the Mediterranean?published at 14:48 British Summer Time 12 August
14:48 BST 12 August
Mark Poynting
Climate reporterWhile fires happen naturally in southern Europe, climatechange is making the weather conditions needed for extreme wildfires to spreadmore likely, external.
Intense, long-lasting heat draws moisture out of the ground and vegetation.
Once ignited – whether by natural or human triggers - these tinder-dry conditions provide fuel for fires to spread at an incrediblespeed, aided by very strong winds.
The way that humans use land – for example, convertingnatural vegetation to forest plantations or farmland – is also important inaffecting how wildfires spread.
The combined effects of shifting land use and risingtemperatures mean extreme wildfires are expected to become more frequent andintense globally in the coming decades, according to the UN Environment Programme, external.
Read more on the links between extreme weather and climate change here.
Greece requests assistance from Croatia and Spain to help tackle firespublished at 14:39 British Summer Time 12 August
14:39 BST 12 August
Nikos Papanikolaou
Reporting from AthensThe Greek authorities have officially requested assistance from Croatia and Spain to help with the firefighting operation.
There are explosions from parked cars and fuel tanks in properties which are creating new flare ups - the pressure of the water in the affected areas is getting low.
According to the Fire Risk Prediction Map, issued by the Civil Protection, for tomorrow, Tuesday, 13 August, a very high risk of fire (risk category 4) is predicted for the regions of Attica and Central Greece.
Image source, Civil Protection AuthorityIn pictures: battling the flames from land and airpublished at 14:25 British Summer Time 12 August
14:25 BST 12 August
As we've been reporting, Greece has mounted a huge operation to tackle the wildfires that are approaching Athens.
Here's a look at some of the firefighters and volunteers battling the flames.
Image source, ReutersImage source, ReutersImage source, ReutersImage source, Reuters
