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| Wildfires reach suburbs of Athens | Wildfires reach suburbs of Athens |
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| Italy and France are sending aircraft to help crews in Greece battling fires burning out of control near Athens. | Italy and France are sending aircraft to help crews in Greece battling fires burning out of control near Athens. |
| Dozens of homes have been torched and thousands of people forced to flee but no casualties have been reported. | Dozens of homes have been torched and thousands of people forced to flee but no casualties have been reported. |
| The fires started late on Friday and have spread rapidly, fed by strong winds, prompting authorities to declare a state of emergency around Athens. | |
| The fires - the worst since those in 2007 which killed about 70 people - are being called an environmental disaster. | The fires - the worst since those in 2007 which killed about 70 people - are being called an environmental disaster. |
| The first blaze was reported to have begun near the site of a planned waste disposal facility in Grammatiko, near the ancient town of Marathon. | The first blaze was reported to have begun near the site of a planned waste disposal facility in Grammatiko, near the ancient town of Marathon. |
| The fires grew larger over Saturday and spread to Varnavas. By Sunday morning, houses were burning in the Athens' suburbs of Drafi, Pendeli, Pikermi and Pallini. | |
| Overnight, fires also crested the top of Pendeli, a hilly, northern suburb with a panoramic view of Athens, setting houses alight. | |
| Much of Pendeli mountain was laid waste in 2007, the BBC's Malcolm Brabant in Athens says. | |
| Three of the four mountains surrounding the capital have already been stripped of their trees by previous fires and further erosion of the forest cover would be an ecological disaster, adds our correspondent. | |
| 'Great ordeal' | 'Great ordeal' |
| Hundreds of fire fighters and soldiers - backed by helicopters and fixed-wing aircraft dropping water - are battling the fires but they are too numerous and widespread to contain, our correspondent says. | Hundreds of fire fighters and soldiers - backed by helicopters and fixed-wing aircraft dropping water - are battling the fires but they are too numerous and widespread to contain, our correspondent says. |
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| Greek fires rage into the night | Greek fires rage into the night |
| "The situation is tragic. Fires are out of control on many fronts," said a regional Athens governor, Yiannis Sgouros. | "The situation is tragic. Fires are out of control on many fronts," said a regional Athens governor, Yiannis Sgouros. |
| Residents of the threatened towns and suburbs have fled by car, motorbike and on foot, but others have stayed behind to try to defend their homes. | Residents of the threatened towns and suburbs have fled by car, motorbike and on foot, but others have stayed behind to try to defend their homes. |
| Two children's hospitals, a summer camp and a psychiatric clinic have been evacuated. | |
| "We urge everyone to comply with the instructions of those responsible," Prime Minister Costas Karamanlis said. "We face a great ordeal." | "We urge everyone to comply with the instructions of those responsible," Prime Minister Costas Karamanlis said. "We face a great ordeal." |
| Another governor in the Athens region, Leonidas Kouris, called the fires "a very significant environmental disaster, perhaps the gravest in recent years". | Another governor in the Athens region, Leonidas Kouris, called the fires "a very significant environmental disaster, perhaps the gravest in recent years". |
| In pictures: Greek wild fires | In pictures: Greek wild fires |
| The fires have sent a thick haze of smoke spreading across much of Athens. | |
| Other fires are burning in the central Greek region of Viotia, on the Ionian island of Zakynthos, which has already been hit by fires this summer, and on the Aegean islands of Skyros and Evia. | |
| In July, dozens of fires burnt through thousands of hectares of land in Greece, Spain, France and Italy. | In July, dozens of fires burnt through thousands of hectares of land in Greece, Spain, France and Italy. |
| According to the conservation group Greenpeace, heat waves and drier conditions are leading to larger and more uncontrollable forest fires across the whole Mediterranean region. | According to the conservation group Greenpeace, heat waves and drier conditions are leading to larger and more uncontrollable forest fires across the whole Mediterranean region. |
| Are you in the area? Have you been affected by the fires? Send us your comments using the form below. | Are you in the area? Have you been affected by the fires? Send us your comments using the form below. |
| You can also send us your pictures and videos to yourpics@bbc.co.uk or text them to +44 7725 100 100. If you have a large file you can upload here. | You can also send us your pictures and videos to yourpics@bbc.co.uk or text them to +44 7725 100 100. If you have a large file you can upload here. |
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