Wildfires rage near Greek capital

On August 13, Greek authorities said the country was experiencing its most serious forest fires since the beginning of the year, with wildfires raging on the outskirts of the capital Athens.

Hot weather and strong winds have caused a forest fire to spread to the outskirts of Athens, despite the efforts of hundreds of firefighters to fight the "fire" since August 11 in the area near the village of Varnavas, 35 km north of Athens.

Locals said they had not seen a forest fire raging so close to the capital in decades.

The fire spread to the suburb of Vrilissia, about 14 km from the center of the capital Athens. Authorities found a 64-year-old woman dead inside a factory in the area.

People living in more than 30 areas have been evacuated, while many areas of the Athens capital region are without power.

Although the raging fires that started on August 12 have been brought under control, many fires remain in the northern part of the capital. Meanwhile, strong winds are forecast to continue to increase late on August 13 and temperatures could reach 40 degrees Celsius. Therefore, authorities have advised people to remain vigilant about the risk of forest fires until August 15.

The Greek government has called for help from other European Union (EU) member states to deal with the wildfires.

Greece has been battling wildfires in the summer for years. Hotter, drier weather due to climate change has made the fires more frequent and intense.