Buildings burn and Greece wildfires set to get worse as government calls for international help

The school in Nea Penteli, north east of Athens, caught ablaze as residents were among many communities told to leave their homes through an emergency warning alert system sent to mobile phones.

Greek authorities officially requested assistance from Croatia and Spain, while the government also activated the Union Civil Protection Mechanism (UCPM) requesting aerial firefighting means and ground firefighting forces to support national efforts. 

Other buildings are reported to be on fire in communities located as close to Athens as Chalandri, just 5.6 miles away from the centre of the city. More than 40 fires have broken out in Greece since Sunday, as temperatures push above 40 degrees, higher than the average for August, combining with strong winds which can fuel wildfires.

Smoke is thick in the skies above Athens and a power cut saw traffic lights fail on Monday. Strong winds hampered the efforts of 685 firefighters and 33 aircraft deployed to tackle the front line of the fires.

A children’s hospital, a military hospital, two monasteries and a children’s home were evacuated early on Monday, while more than two dozen emergency push alerts were sent to mobile phones in the area.

The fire danger forecast is expected to increase from high to very extreme across most of central Greece, according to the European Forest Fire Information System.

Three regions are under a category five alert issued by the Greek government, while a further seven areas- from Eastern Macedonia and Thrace in the north of Greece to the island of Crete in the south - are category four.

Climate crisis and civil protection minister Vassilis Kikilias warned authorities had been faced with “an exceptionally dangerous fire, which we have been fighting for more than 20 hours under dramatic circumstances”.

Temporary shelters have been put up in sports halls and hotels for people forced to leave their homes.

"Our whole town is engulfed in flames and going through difficult times," said Stergios Tsirkas, mayor of the historic Greek town of Marathon, told Greek television.

A total of 7,000 people and two hospitals have been evacuated in the town.

"We are facing a biblical catastrophe.”

Three Athens hospitals were put on heightened alert to treat any potential injuries.

Paramedics and ambulances provided treatment to two firefighters – one for light burns and the other for breathing problems – while 13 civilians were also treated for breathing problems from the thick smoke.

The blaze began on Sunday afternoon about 22 miles from Athens and was fanned by strong winds that quickly drove it out of control. Authorities said flames at times towered more than 25 metres in height. June and July of this year were the hottest months ever recorded in Greece, which also recorded its warmest winter ever.

Last year, wildfires in Greece killed more than 20 people, including 18 migrants who became trapped by the flames as they trekked through a forest in northeastern Greece.