Athens, Aug 23 (DPA) Athenians battled alongside firefighters Sunday to control a massive fire that is raging for the second day on the outskirts of this Greek capital and threatens to spread to heavily populated areas.
Strong gale-force winds were causing the blaze to head towards the heavily populated northern suburbs of Kalithea, Pendelis and Drafi, filling the skies over the capital with thick black smoke.
A state of emergency was declared in greater Athens in the worst destruction the country has seen since fires struck the island of Evia and the Peloponnese in 2007, killing more than 80 people.
Twelve water-carrying planes and seven helicopters were attempting to extinguish the blaze despite blinding smoke and the strong winds.
The head of the firefighting brigade, Giannis Kapakis, said two water-carrying planes from Italy, two from France and a helicopter from Cyprus were on their way to offer assistance.
As a precautionary measure, officials evacuated two hospitals in the area of Pendelis and transferred patients, the majority of them children, to other hospitals around the city.
Fire brigade officials said no casualties had been reported by early Sunday despite mass overnight evacuations of children campsites and villages on the outskirts of the city.
The fire broke out late Friday and quickly spread, fanned by the winds to an area more than 40 km wide, damaging homes and burning thousands of acres of forest and olive groves.
Residents could be seen fleeing the fire on foot, by motorbike and cars while blackouts and water supply cuts were reported throughout the area.
Many Athenians, who ignored calls by firefighting authorities to evacuate their neighbourhoods, could be seen fighting the flames outside their homes with water hoses.
Others, armed with shovels and buckets, worked side by side with firefighters and soldiers throughout the night to battle the fires.
Firefighters said the constantly changing winds were making their work more difficult.
More than 80 forest fires were reported to have broken out across the country in less than 24 hours, fuelled by high temperatures and winds, officials said.
Blazes were also reported to be burning out of control on the Ionian island of Zakynthos, scorching nearly 2,000 acres of forest. Other fires were reported on the eastern Greek islands of Evia, and Skyros.
Forest fires have become more frequent in Greece in recent summers, triggered by high temperatures, drought and also arson.
