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In photos: Thousands flee Athens amid Greece's worst wildfire so far this year

At least one person has been reported dead since the fires broke out three days ago.

Yahoo News Photo Staff
·3-min read
With his upper body bare and a cloth over his mouth, a man walks through Penteli, a municipality in the northern Athens region, on Monday.
With his upper body bare and a cloth over his mouth, a man walks through Penteli, a municipality in the northern Athens region, on Monday. (Socrates Baltagiannis/picture alliance via Getty Images)

Thousands of people have been forced to evacuate from Athens as Greece's worst wildfire so far this year continued to burn for a third straight day through towns surrounding the country's capital. NBC News reported Tuesday morning:

At least one person has died since the fires broke out. On Monday, a woman’s body was found inside a building in the town of Vrilissia, further south, according to Reuters. Others have been treated for burns and smoke inhalation.

So far, the fire has prompted several towns northeast of Athens to issue evacuation orders and transform hotels into shelters for the displaced. Officials said first responders had to carry out several rescue operations to save residents who had become trapped after refusing to leave their homes.

A helicopter drops water over a fire in Nea Makri, east of Athens, on Monday.
A helicopter drops water over a fire in Nea Makri, east of Athens, on Monday. (Michael Varaklas/AP)
A firefighter tries to extinguish the flames at a business in northern Athens on Monday.
A firefighter tries to extinguish the flames at a business in northern Athens on Monday. (Aggelos Barai/AP)
Volunteers and firefighters try to extinguish a fire in a building in Vrilissia, near Athens, on Monday.
Volunteers and firefighters try to extinguish a fire in a building in Vrilissia, near Athens, on Monday. (Alexandros Avramidis/Reuters)
A detail from a burned-out house in Athens on Monday.
A detail from a burned-out house in Athens on Monday. (Stelios Misinas/Reuters)
Houses burned by a wildfire in the Penteli area near Athens on Monday.
Houses burned by a wildfire in the Penteli area near Athens on Monday. (Alexandros Avramidis/Reuters)
Marina Kalogerakou, 24, hugs her aunt Eleonora Zoakou, 48, as a wildfire burns in Penteli, Greece, on Monday.
Marina Kalogerakou, 24, hugs her aunt Eleonora Zoakou, 48, as a wildfire burns in Penteli, Greece, on Monday. (Stelios Misinas/Reuters)
A marble workshop in the aftermath of a wildfire in the Chalandri suburb of Athens on Monday.
A marble workshop in the aftermath of a wildfire in the Chalandri suburb of Athens on Monday. (Stelios Misinas/Reuters)
The interior of a burned house in Rapentosa, Greece, on Monday.
The interior of a burned house in Rapentosa, Greece, on Monday. (Stelios Misinas/Reuters)
Firefighters try to extinguish a wildfire in Dionysos, Greece, on Monday.
Firefighters try to extinguish a wildfire in Dionysos, Greece, on Monday. (Alexandros Avramidis/Reuters)
Women embrace after being rescued during a wildfire in Varnavas, north of Athens, on Sunday.
Women embrace after being rescued during a wildfire in Varnavas, north of Athens, on Sunday. (Angelos Tzortzinis/AFP via Getty Images)
A firefighter wearing a breathing apparatus stands in front of flames in Vrilissia, Greece, on Monday.
A firefighter wearing a breathing apparatus stands in front of flames in Vrilissia, Greece, on Monday. (Aris Oikonomou/AFP via Getty Images)
A local resident covers his face during a wildfire in Dion, Greece, on Monday.
A local resident covers his face during a wildfire in Dion, Greece, on Monday. (Angelos Tzortzinis/AFP via Getty Images)
Local residents cry as they try to save some belongings during a wildfire near Penteli, Greece, on Monday.
Local residents cry as they try to save some belongings during a wildfire near Penteli, Greece, on Monday. (Angelos Tzortzinis/AFP via Getty Images)
A volunteer rescues a dog from a wildfire near Penteli, Greece, on Monday.
A volunteer rescues a dog from a wildfire near Penteli, Greece, on Monday. (Angelos Tzortzinis/AFP via Getty Images)
Volunteers stand in front of a small pocket of fire near Penteli, Greece, on Monday.
Volunteers stand in front of a small pocket of fire near Penteli, Greece, on Monday. (Angelos Tzortzinis/AFP via Getty Images)
Relatives comfort each other after looking at the damage to their burnt home in a suburb of Athens on Tuesday.
Relatives comfort each other after looking at the damage to their burnt home in a suburb of Athens on Tuesday. (Angelos Tzortzinis/AFP via Getty Images)
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