Greek wildfires reach outskirts of Athens

A local reacts as flames burn trees in the village of Gennadi on the Aegean Sea island of Rhodes (Petros Giannakouris/AP)

Wildfires have reached the outskirts of Athens as strong gusts of wind cause flare-ups around Greece, disrupting motorway traffic and rail services.

The fires have raged across parts of the country during three successive Mediterranean heatwaves over two weeks, leaving five people dead, including two firefighting pilots, and triggering a huge evacuation of tourists over the weekend on the island of Rhodes.