PERSONAL STORY: 'We live in fear every summer': Greek resident on Attica wildfire threat

A fast-moving wildfire threatened homes in the village of Krio Pigadi in western Attica, as residents remained on their properties, watching flames advance and helicopters battle the blaze from above.

Ilas Papadimitropoulos, 65, said the fire had revived memories of a near miss five years ago, when flames came within 50 metres of his home. He said the constant threat of wildfire had become part of daily life every summer and feared his family might not be able to save their house this time. Papadimitropoulos also criticised local authorities, saying repeated requests to prune nearby pine trees had gone unanswered for three years.

His wife, Ioanna Papadimitropoulou, 53, said strong winds prevented firefighting aircraft from operating at the height of the blaze, allowing the fire to spread rapidly and threaten multiple settlements. She said she felt angry and believed little would change. Nearby residents Mimika Galati, 70, and Anastasios Galatis, 73, said they had spent the night without electricity, determined to remain at the home they had spent years building despite the danger.

 Wildfires fanned by heavy winds burned across multiple areas of Greece on Saturday, including near Athens, with large-scale firefighting operations and emergency evacuations underway, while conditions worsened again in parts of Spain and France.

Europe has been ravaged by wildfires this summer after a period of successive record-breaking heatwaves and little rain. Villages in France and Spain have been destroyed, and hundreds of thousands of people have been forced to flee their homes and holiday accommodation.

Blazes fed by gale-force winds flared up across Greece, which until recent days had experienced fewer heatwaves and a relatively quiet fire season.

Camera: Angelos Tsatsis, Vania Turner, Editing: Vania Turner, Angelos Tsatsis, Production: Vania Turner/Reuters