According to the government, Greece will have to prepare for tough days in view of the numerous fires and fires. “We have to fight dozens of forest fires. Three of them - in Athens, the Peloponnese and Evia - are of enormous strength and enormous proportions, ”said Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis on Thursday evening in a speech on state television. He warned of strong westerly winds on Friday, an "unprecedented condition because the past few days of heat and drought have turned the country into a powder keg".
People in Greece are not allowed to visit forests until at least Monday.
Also, no work may be carried out that could generate sparks or flames.
"Our priority is the protection of human life," said Mitsotakis and urged the citizens to remain calm, to stick together and to obey the instructions of the authorities, the fire brigade and the police.
The fire brigade could not bring the huge forest fire in northern Athens under control until Thursday evening.
As a precaution, the electricity company switched off a large distributor in the region.
The company announced that it would interrupt the electricity in parts in Athens in order to be able to maintain the supply as a whole.
The citizens should be informed in the course of the evening when and where there is no electricity.
Evacuated village and closed highway
The fire brigade's emergency services had little time left in the evening - as soon as darkness fell, the fire-fighting planes and helicopters could no longer work.
The town of Krioneri 25 kilometers north of Athens city center was evacuated as a precaution.
The country's central motorway between the metropolises of Athens and Thessaloniki is now closed in the region in question.
Only two days ago a large fire broke out in the north of Athens, but it was brought under control.
In many other areas of the country there is also a fire after a long period of drought and heat.
Numerous villages were evacuated and many houses fell victim to the flames.
So far there is no overview of the damage.
As things stand, however, the fire has not yet claimed any lives.
Numerous forest fires are currently raging in Greece, but also in Turkey, Italy and Bulgaria. Experts warn that the heat will not subside anytime soon and many fires are to be feared.