Firefighters try to extinguish a wildfire in the north of Evia island, Greece, Aug. 5, 2021. Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis said on Thursday evening that Greece is facing an extremely critical situation with multiple forest fires at the same time, while saving human lives is the government's top priority.Photo:Xinhua

A wildfire whipped by gale-force winds blazed through vegetation in a southern suburb of Athens on Saturday, the fire brigade said, forcing residents to evacuate and damaging about 20 properties.

The Greek Civil Protection agency issued an emergency appeal via SMS for people to leave Ano Voula as the flames reached homes.

Officials reported no casualties but four more neighborhoods were evacuated as the wind changed direction and drove the fire front toward the town of Vari, Grigoris Konstantelos, mayor of Voula, told Skai TV.

Kostantelos said around 20 houses were damaged.

Six water-bombing aircrafts, three helicopters and municipal water tankers supported dozens of firefighters with 20 fire engines.

"The situation is very difficult and the wind does not help," said Giannis Konstantatos, mayor of Ellinikon-Argiroupoli, a neighboring municipality.

"The atmosphere is suffocating, we have difficulty breathing," he told Athens News Agency.

Police told people to leave their homes in images broadcast by Ant1 TV.

The Fire Brigade told AFP that the wind has dropped a bit so they are hopeful that the fire will slow its pace. 

Skai TV showed footage of a burning house with flames licking inside. 

Giorgos Papanikolaou, mayor of Glyfada, where the fire first broke out, said it began at a high voltage electricity power station, according to the agency.

Later in the afternoon, a second fire broke out near Athens, in the village of Kouvaras but residential areas were not under threat.

Late in the day, the Fire Brigade told AFP that the wind has dropped raising hopes the spread of the fire will slow.

AFP