Greece has been fighting devastating fires for almost a week now as the country suffers its worst heatwave in decades.
More than 1,450 Greek firefighters backed by at least 15 aircraft were battling the blazes, with reinforcements arriving from abroad, the fire service said.
In Pefkofyto, in the north of Athens, pensioner Tasos Tsilivakos struggled to contain his tears.
"This is a horrible disaster," he told AFP.
"I'm really afraid that maybe only our great-grand children will have the chance to walk again in these areas."
One 62-year-old man from nearby Agios Stefanos told Alpha TV how after being evacuated he watched his house burning on television. "My child is still crying from the shock," he said.
Cyprus, France and Britain and other countries said they were rushing to help Greece.
A volunteer tries to put out the fire by throwing dirt on it in Athens, Greece on 6 August, 2021. Source: Getty Images
French President Emmanuel Macron tweeted that he had spoken with Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis about the crisis.
"Solidarity as Europeans always," Mr Macron tweeted, saying France had deployed 80 firefighters and rescue workers as well as three Canadair firefighting planes.
UK Home Secretary Priti Patel tweeted Saturday that Britain is sending "a team of experienced firefighters to support Greek firefighters currently battling the huge blazes".
Egypt is also expected to send two helicopters and Spain one Canadair plane.
A firefighter battles the flames in Athens, Greece, on 6 August, 2021 Source: Getty Images
'Nightmarish summer'
With strong winds and temperatures of up to 38 degrees forecast in some regions on Saturday, the blazes in Greece are expected to continue for some time. And this year's fires have already been far more destructive than in previous years.
In the last 10 days, 56,655 hectares have been burnt in Greece, according to the European Forest Fire Information System. The average number of hectares burnt over the same period between 2008 and 2020 was 1,700 hectares.
"When this nightmarish summer ends we will reverse the damage as soon as possible," Mr Mitsotakis, the prime minister, pledged on Saturday.
Fears of more high winds
Civil Protection deputy minister, Nikos Hardalias said Saturday that 55 blazes were raging across Greece.
They were burning on Evia, the country's second largest island, which lies east of the capital; in the Peloponnese region in the southwest; and in Fthiotida in Central Greece.
The fire front on Evia alone ran a length of 30 kilometres, said Fanis Spanos, regional governor of Central Greece.
On the north of the island, another 23 were evacuated Saturday morning after 1,300 were plucked off the beaches by ferry boats the night before. Navy warships were on high alert off the coast in case more evacuations are required.
Meanwhile officials reopened part of a motorway linking Athens to the north of the country.
Central Greece governor Spanos told the Athens News Agency (ANA) that more than 300 families whose homes had been burned down were being sheltered in hotels.
And the situation remained dire in Mani, in the Peloponnese, where 5,000 people were evacuated Friday.
Eleni Drakoulakou, mayor of East Mani, told ERT TV on Saturday that half the municipality had been destroyed by the flames. She blamed a lack of water-bombing air support during the critical first hours of the wildfire.
ANA reported that two people had been charged for arson: a woman was arrested in Athens Friday carrying two lighters, petrol and flammable material, just after a fire broke out there.
And a 43-year-old man was arrested in Krioneri, northern Attica.
A helicopter drops water over fire in the Thrakomakedones area, in northern Athens, on 7 August, 2021 Source: Getty Images Europe
