Dozens try to flee as forest blazes escalate

Greek firefighters battled large bush and forest fires on the outskirts of Athens and in Greece’s southern Peloponnese region, where flames forced the evacuation of at least three villages and two summer camps.

Strong winds fanned the forest fire in the Lakonia area, on the tip of the Peloponnese. A coast guard vessel and other boats were attempting to evacuate scores of people trapped on a beach by the fire, but those rescue efforts were being hampered by rough seas.

Local media reported two summer camps and a health centre in the seaside town of Neapoli had been evacuated.