ATHENS (Reuters) - A wildfire raged for a second day on the outskirts of Athens, burning miles of forest and threatening homes and farms, a fire brigade official said on Tuesday.
More than 200 firefighters were battling the flames, while two aircraft and two helicopters poured water from the air to drown the blaze, which has burnt for more than 17 hours.
"Things are better now but there are several fronts still burning," said a fire brigade official who declined to be named.
The fire that started at midday on Monday was fanned by strong winds and quickly spread across the slopes of Mount Hymettus which overlooks the Greek capital, sending thick clouds of smoke over the city.
The flames forced some residents to evacuate their homes. Volunteers with hoses and tree branches fought to put out the fire that had burnt cars and barns.
Forest fires are frequent in Greece during the summer, triggered by high temperatures, drought or arsonists.
Greece called a state of emergency in 2007 when forest fires burnt for 10 days, sweeping through dozens of villages in the southern Peloponnese peninsula and the island of Evia.
(Reporting by Tatiana Fragou; writing by Renee Maltezou)
