Wildfires spread past Athens as Greece calls on EU for help

The wildfire started on Sunday afternoon in Varnavas, some 35km northeast of Athens.
Aided by strong winds, it grew to a 30km-long frontline of flames, more than 25m high in places, according to state TV ERT.
“I heard my animals bleating and dying,” Dimitris Megagiannis, a goat herder near Penteli, told Mega TV station.
Over 700 firefighters with nearly 200 fire engines and over 30 aircraft were trying to contain the fire.
Authorities opened the Olympic stadium in northern Athens and other stadiums to house thousands of people evacuated from the path of the blaze. Three major hospitals have been placed on standby.
“Forest fire near you. Follow the instructions of the authorities,” said SMS messages sent to people in the Attica region, indicating in which direction to flee.
Civil Protection Minister Vassilis Kikilias issued a warning Saturday that half the country faced a high risk of fires due to high temperatures, strong winds and drought conditions.
On Monday he said that the fire had spread even though a water-bombing aircraft reached the area within five minutes.
“We’re working 24-hour shifts, all of us,” said fireman Marinos Peristeropoulos.
“The fire spread very quickly because of the strong wind,” he told AFP near one of the hotspots in Grammatiko.