A large wildfire raged out of control on the outskirts of Athens, burning several homes and thousands of acres of forest.
Greek authorities declared a state of emergency in the area, after the fire, which broke out late yesterday in the village of Grammatiko, about 40km northeast of the capital, spread to neighbouring villages fanned by strong winds.
An official at Greece's civil protection authority said the fire is close to the villages of Grammatiko, Varnavas and Marathon.
The flames seared thousands of acres of forest land, farming fields and olive groves and formed thick clouds of smoke over the Greek capital.
Police and witnesses said at least eight homes were heavily damaged but fire brigade declined to give official data for the damage until the blaze was put out.
Twelve aircraft, nine helicopters, 61 fire engines and 210 firefighters with 38 water tanks were trying to battle the blaze and stop it from expanding to other, densely populated areas.
Gale-force winds fanned more than 100 blazes across Greece in the last two days.
Two more fires broke out today on the eastern Greek islands of Evia and Skyros, while one more raged on the island of Zakynthos, in western Greece.
Greece saw its deadliest wildfires in memory in 2007, when blazes on the island of Evia and the southern Peloponnese peninsula raged for more than 10 days, killing 65 people.
