The Fire Service raised the alarm shortly after midday following a wildfire that broke out in an area of low vegetation along the Aigaleo ring road, west of central Athens.

According to the Fire Service, the blaze started at around 15:30 in Neokitsta, Aspropyrgos, and spread rapidly enough that at 16:25 the 112 emergency alert system, Greece’s national warning service for public safety threats, sent a message ordering the evacuation of the Afaia and Ano Dasos Chaidariou districts via Leoforos Athinon towards Peristeri.

Ninety-five firefighters are tackling the flames, backed by six ground teams from the Fire Service’s 1st Special Forest Firefighting Unit (1 EMODE), 22 vehicles, four fixed-wing aircraft and five helicopters, one of which is coordinating the aerial operation. Municipal water tankers and volunteer groups are also assisting at the scene.

Crews are making a major push to contain the fire given its proximity to built-up areas. A dense column of black smoke has been visible over Chaidari, Peristeri and much of western Athens, stretching from Leoforos Athinon to Kifisou Avenue, and was even visible from Ermou Street in Syntagma Square in the city centre.

Separately, the Municipality of Athens announced it is placing all its services on heightened alert ahead of an extreme fire risk warning forecast for Saturday. As a precaution, the Lycabettus and Finopoulou hills will be closed to all activity, including visitor and vehicle access, from midnight tonight until further notice.

Under its civil protection plan, the municipality is forming standby teams from its cleaning and green space departments. The Municipal Police will step up patrols and deploy drones fitted with thermal cameras to monitor temperature changes across the city’s major green spaces, including Lycabettus, Strefi, Filopappou, Tourkovounia and Ilisia. The Municipal Police Operations Centre will run around the clock to support the Fire Service and other agencies and municipalities as needed, while the municipality’s water tankers will remain on constant standby.

The Contractors’ Registry has also been activated to reinforce fire protection at the Municipality of Athens’ summer camps in Agios Andreas, Attica, with two water cannon vehicles and two 4×4 vehicles deployed.

Residents are urged to remain vigilant and to report any hazard via the municipality’s 24-hour citizens’ line on 1595, with charges varying depending on the caller’s provider.

Given the strong winds forecast over the coming days, the Municipality of Athens has strongly urged the public to avoid any outdoor activity that could spark a fire until Sunday, 2 August, including:

• the use of open flames
• work involving sparks
• electric and oxy-fuel welding
• cutting metal with a grinder
• the use of blowtorches, and any other potentially hazardous activity.