Wildfires force evacuations in Greece as blazes burn near Athens

Wildfires continued to burn across Greece on Saturday, forcing evacuations and damaging homes as strong winds hampered firefighting efforts, according to Greek daily Ekathimerini.

The largest blaze was burning near the seaside town of Porto Germeno, about 60 kilometers (37 miles) west of Athens, where firefighting aircraft resumed water drops after crews battled the flames throughout the night.

Authorities ordered evacuations from Porto Germeno, Psatha and Mytikas through Greece's 112 emergency warning system, while 12 people were rescued by boat overnight.

Local media reported that several homes were destroyed and a fire engine was completely burned.

Elsewhere, firefighters continued to battle a wildfire in the northwestern Peloponnese, while conditions improved in the Rethymno region on the island of Crete.

Authorities said more than 70 wildfires had broken out across Greece since Friday morning as hot, dry and windy conditions fueled their rapid spread.

A separate wildfire also swept across Mount Poikilo on the western outskirts of Athens, reaching the edge of the suburb of Haidari and approaching the perimeter of the Daphni Psychiatric Hospital.

Seventeen patients were evacuated from the hospital as a precaution, although the flames did not reach the facility.

Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis visited the Civil Protection crisis coordination center on Saturday to receive updates on the fires as emergency services continued operations across the country.