Greece: Residents flee as wildfires approach | DW News

Thousands of residents fled a wildfire north of Athens early Friday as Greece's government warned of tough days ahead. Firefighters continued their efforts to prevent the flames from reaching populated areas, electricity installations and historic sites, as the region faces its fourth day of inferno. In heat wave conditions, fires tore through forest areas 20 kilometers (12.5 miles) north of the capital, destroying dozens of homes. Fires are also causing destruction in the Peloponnese, a peninsula located at the southern tip of the mainland; and in Euboea, Greece's second-largest island. These two regions, along with Athens, are suffering blazes of "enormous strength and scale," Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis said. Nearly 60 villages and settlements were evacuated Thursday and early Friday across southern Greece, with temperatures set to increase in the coming days. n a suburb north of Athens, a 38-year-old man died after he was hit by a falling transmission tower, according to the hospital that treated him. Mitsotakis warned of strong westerly winds on Friday, meaning the affected regions are going through an "unprecedented" situation "because the past few days of heat and drought have turned the country into a powder keg." Subscribe: For more news go to: http://www.dw.com/en/ Follow DW on social media: ►Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/deutschewellenews/ ►Twitter: https://twitter.com/dwnews ►Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/dwnews Für Videos in deutscher Sprache besuchen Sie: #Greece #wildfires #Athens

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