A firefighter works to extinguish a wildfire burning in Pallini, near Athens, Greece July 20, 2022. REUTERS/Costas Baltas
Athens: At least12 people were injured, including three firefighters, after a major fire broke out in the Greek capital Athens, since Tuesday.
Seven residential areas and a children's hospital were evacuated. Nine firefighting planes and seven helicopters were deployed to fight the flames at dawn on Wednesday, a fire service spokesman said.
Columns of thick smoke rose over all parts of Athens, and temperatures were expected to reach 31 degrees Celsius. Parts of the main road between the city and the airport were closed due to reduced visibility.
The efforts to combat the fire face difficulties with the fact that there is not a single fire front, but rather numerous ongoing fires in forest areas and neighborhoods in the Penteli region, northeast of Athens, near Mount Pentelicus.
The fire broke out on Tuesday and the cause was unclear. The fire was small at first, according to eyewitnesses, and strong winds fanned the flames.
