Houses were engulfed in flames around Mount Penteli in northern Athens on Wednesday (July 20) as firefighters spent the night trying to contain the blaze, Reuters reports.
Greece's fire service said winds in the region, some 27 kilometres from downtown Athens, reached 80 kilometres an hour and continuously changed direction.
Evacuations of people continued throughout the night as 485 firefighters and volunteers took part in the operation and emergency services remained on standby. Three firefighting planes and four helicopters were taking part by dawn, the fire service said.
The fire was still active in at least four suburbs in the region, the fire service said, and had damaged houses, without providing further details.
