UPDATED WITH MORE DETAILS AND LATEST DEVELOPMENTS; EDITS THROUGHOUT; REVISES HEADLINE, DECK
By Ahmet Gencturk
ATHENS (AA) - A massive wildfire that broke out Sunday afternoon and continues to rage led to the evacuation of hospitals and many settlements in northeastern Athens, local media reported on Monday.
The fire, which started in the Varnavas area, continues to expand fueled by winds measuring 7-8 on the Beaufort scale and has created a fire front over 30 kilometers (18.6 miles) wide, reported the state-run ERT news agency.
The fire, currently raging on three main fronts, already led to the evacuation of many settlements in the areas of Nea Panteli and Palia Penteli, with evacuation orders issued for dozens more settlements.
The Penteli Children's Hospital and the 414 Military Hospital, as well as at least two monasteries, were also evacuated.
Some 685 firefighters, 27 forest commando units, and 190 fire engines, supported by 17 water dropping helicopters and 16 firefighting aircraft and volunteers, are struggling to control the fire in the face of unfavorable weather conditions, said firefighting service spokesman Vassilis Vathrakogiannis.
The Civil Protection General Secretariat also requested help under the European Civil Defense Mechanism to fight the fire, and one firefighting helicopter from France, two firefighting planes from Italy, along with 75 firefighters and 25 vehicles, are expected to join the fight against the fire tomorrow.
After offering help to its Aegean neighbor, Türkiye on Monday also announced it will send two firefighting planes and one helicopter to help Greece fight the blaze.