A fire broke out on the fringes of Athens today, burning down a slope of Mount Ymittos and bearing down on a suburb of the Greek capital as wildfires which have killed at least 61 people ravaged vast areas of the country.

Firefighters backed by aircraft prevented the birthplace of the ancient Olympics from being consumed by flames as Greece’s worst wildfires in memory blazed across the country and the death toll climbed to 60.

Fires tore through parched forests and swallowed villages across Greece, bearing down on communities near Ancient Olympia in the south today. At least 49 people were dead.

Forest fires that have claimed at least 40 lives raged uncontrolled across vast areas of southern Greece today as a new blaze threatened buildings on the fringes of Athens.

The death toll from forest fires that have raged uncontrolled across vast swathes of southern Greece rose to 37 people, the fire department said today.

Forest fires whipped by gale-force winds killed at least 15 people in southern Greece today, including at least nine people who were trapped in their cars.

Officials and residents struggled to assess damage from a massive forest fire that began to subside tonight after burning houses, cars and animals, and forcing the evacuation of two medical clinics near Athens.