Greece battles wildfires for third day, site of ancient Olympics saved

Athens covered in smoke from a wildfire burning at Varympompi suburb in suburb north of Athens, Greece, August 4, 2021. Giannis Panagopoulos/Eurokinissi via REUTERS

ATHENS (Reuters) -Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis said authorities were doing "whatever is humanly possible" to tackle wildfires burning across Greece for the third day on Thursday, including near the ancient site of the first Olympic Games.

Dozens of towns and villages have been evacuated since Tuesday, from the outskirts of Athens to the island of Evia near the capital, and in the Peloponnese, as a protracted heatwave and strengthening winds fuelled more than 150 wildfires in recent days.