Wildfire fanned by strong winds rages in forest area near Athens

A thick cloud of smoke could be seen in the sky over Athens, which is flanked by mountains, but a local official said no homes were threatened by the fire.

“The situation is stable so far,” a deputy governor for part of Athens, Costas Zobos, told state television.

With hot, windy conditions across much of the country, some 40 landscape fires have broken out since the early morning hours on Saturday and authorities advised people to stay out of forest areas.

Winds are not expected to weaken before Sunday, meteorologists said.

Wildfires are common in the Mediterranean country, but they have become more devastating in recent years as summers have become hotter, drier and windier, which scientists link to the effects of climate change.

After last summer’s deadly forest fires and following its hottest winter on record, Greece developed a new doctrine, which includes deploying an extra fire truck to each new blaze, speeding up air support and clearing forests. A big part of Mount Parnitha’s nature reserve, full of pines and fir trees, was destroyed by a large fire in 2007.