World News Live Updates: Greece asks for EU help in battling wildfires

Greece on Saturday requested EU help to battle wildfires that have sprung up in different regions as a lengthy heatwave sent temperatures soaring above 45C and gusts fuelled flames.

Winds were fanning fearsome blazes near Athens and other parts, including the Peloponnese peninsula that juts out west from the capital, and on the islands of Crete, Euboea and Kythera, fire brigade spokesman Vathrakogiannis said.

“The hard part is ahead of us,” he warned in a briefing to reporters.

Several regions were under the highest level of alert — Red Category 5 — meaning an extreme risk of wildfires, due to the hot and dry conditions.

In various regions, “in the last 24 hours alone, 52 fires erupted, of which 44 were immediately dealt with at the initial stage,” the brigade spokesman said.

Vathrakogiannis said Greece had requested European assistance through the RescEU mechanism, asking for six firefighting aircraft to bolster efforts to contain the fires.

Firefighting units from the Czech Republic were already operating as part of European assistance, local media reports said.

According to firefighters, one of the most difficult fronts was just 30 kilometres (20 miles) north of Athens, where authorities had ordered the evacuation of a village, Drosopigi.