Firefighters in Greece were working early Monday to contain a major and fast-spreading wildfire that broke out near Athens a day earlier, which has damaged buildings and produced flames more than 80 feet tall, the authorities said.
The fire started on Sunday afternoon in Varnava, a town less than 30 miles north of Athens by road, and spread rapidly within minutes because of high winds, Greece’s national fire service said.
The fire then spread on Sunday evening, in some cases between residential buildings, Col. Vassilios Vathrakogiannis, a spokesman for the fire service, said in a news release.
He said the fire also threatened Lake Marathon, a reservoir serving Athens.
The fire service warned of strong winds.
Persons:
Vassilios
Locations:
Greece, Athens, Varnava, Lake