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A wildfire burns a wood successful Afidnes area, bluish Athens, Greece, Thursday, Aug. 5, 2021.Wildfires rekindled extracurricular Athens and forced much evacuations astir confederate Greece Thursday arsenic upwind conditions worsened and firefighters successful a round-the-clock conflict stopped the flames conscionable extracurricular the birthplace of the past Olympics. (AP Photo/Michael Varaklas)

ATHENS – Thousands of residents fled to information from a wildfire that burned for a 4th time northbound of Athens aboriginal Friday, during an overnight conflict to halt the flames reaching populated areas, energy installations and historical sites.

In vigor question conditions, the blaze tore done wood areas 20 kilometers (12.5 miles) northbound of the capital, destroying much homes. Ground crews of respective 100 firefighters dug occurrence breaks and hosed the flames.

Traffic was halted connected the country's main road connecting Athens to bluish Greece, arsenic crews tried to usage the roadworthy arsenic a obstruction to halt the flames advancing earlier water-dropping planes could resume astatine archetypal light. But sparks and burning conifer cones carried the occurrence crossed the road astatine respective points.

Several firefighters and volunteers were hospitalized with burns, wellness officials said.

“We are going done the 10th time of a large vigor question affecting our full country, the worst vigor question successful presumption of strength and duration of the past 30 years,” Fire Service Brig. Gen. Aristotelis Papadopoulos said.

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Nearly 60 villages and settlements were evacuated Thursday and aboriginal Friday crossed confederate Greece, with upwind conditions expected to worsen.

Fires were raging connected the land of Evia, northeast of Athens, and astatine aggregate locations successful the confederate Peloponnese portion wherever a blaze was stopped earlier reaching monuments astatine Olympia, birthplace of the past Olympic Games.

A summertime palace extracurricular Athens erstwhile utilized by the erstwhile Greek royal household was besides spared.

Fire crews and water-dropping planes and helicopters from 5 European countries were owed to get Friday and done the play arsenic the European Union stepped up enactment to fire-hit countries successful southeast Europe. The vigor question besides has fueled deadly fires successful Turkey and crossed the region.

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