The wildfire west of Athens spiraled out of control Thursday evening as winds intensified.
Fire threatens Athens // Reuters
Following the new situation, authorities have expanded the evacuation operation for residents from the suburbs of the Greek capital in light of the expected hours and possibly even difficult days of fighting the flames, as the severe heat wave continues to hit the south of the continent.
During the day, firefighters initially managed to control the fire despite its huge size, partly due to the mobilization of other countries in the effort to extinguish from the air. But in the evening, as mentioned, the situation worsened and at the moment it is unclear whether it will be possible to control the situation without a drastic change in the weather situation.
Since Tuesday, the fire has consumed more than 35 square kilometers of woodland and shrubland. Some residents remained in the area despite evacuation orders.
A state of emergency was also declared in Rhodes and evacuation orders were issued.
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