Firefighting teams in Turkey and Greece continue their work to extinguish forest fires that have been going on for days, amid high temperatures, as the flames spread to the outskirts of Athens, while Ankara is still managing firefighting operations in 6 cities.
Residents of the Greek capital saw thick clouds of smoke from the fires that broke out on Tuesday in the northern suburbs.
After Mount Penteli - which caught fire last week - the fires reached Mount Barnes, and the fire official said that the approach of the fire to the houses required the evacuation of 3 villages at the foot of the mountain about 30 kilometers northwest of Athens.
The authorities closed the highway linking the Greek capital with the north and south of the country, as a precautionary measure, and dozens of children were evacuated from a summer camp, according to some media outlets.
A helicopter takes part in firefighting operations in the outskirts of the Greek capital (French)
80 fires
"We are facing harsh conditions, with temperatures approaching 45 degrees in Attica," Civil Protection Minister Michalis Chrysohoides said in a press conference. "The coming hours are crucial. The heat wave continues, and we ask citizens to be vigilant."
Greece faced about 80 fires on Tuesday, according to Nikos Hardalias, Assistant Minister of Civil Protection.
Since last week, Greece has been experiencing the "worst heat wave" in more than 30 years, according to Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis.
Meanwhile, Turkish Minister of Agriculture and Forestry Bekir Pakdemirli said that firefighting teams managed to put out 152 fires out of 163 fires that broke out in 38 states between July 28 and August 3 this year.
The minister added - in statements he made to reporters in the city of Marmaris of the state of Mugla (southwest) on Tuesday - that 16 firefighting planes, 51 helicopters and 10 drones are participating in efforts to extinguish fires throughout the country.
Fires in Bodrum
Emergency teams have evacuated residents from several areas in the tourist city of Bodrum, in the state of Mugla, and work continues to control the fires in the forests surrounding the city.
Meanwhile, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan chaired on Tuesday a meeting to discuss the developments of forest fires at the State Information Coordination Center at the Presidential Complex in Ankara.
Those fires broke out in several states in the south and southwest of the country, including Antalya, Adana, Mugla, Mersin and Osmaniye, and Erdogan declared them disaster areas.