Hundreds of firefighters in Greece are working to contain a massive wildfire that ignited near Athens over the weekend, and officials are pleading with residents to flee as intense flames devour homes and scorch trees that line the historic landscape.
The Greek Ministry for Climate Crisis and Civil Protection has been providing constant updates since the wildfires began and said strong winds, prolonged drought conditions and the layout of the terrain are making the work to contain and extinguish the flames extremely difficult and dangerous.
Nearly 700 firefighters, 27 forest commando teams, 190 vehicles and volunteers are all working to contain a massive fire that broke out Sunday afternoon near Varnava, northeast of Athens.
In addition, bulldozers have been deployed across Attica, the region of Greece that includes Athens, to create fire breaks, and at least 33 aircraft are relentlessly dumping water on the fire.
Hospitals in the region are also on alert, and at least 15 people, including firefighters, have been injured, according to officials.
Communities across the region have also been told to be prepared for the possible evacuation due to the fires, with residents in several towns already told to flee.
