MAJOR FOREST FIRE STILL RAGING IN ATTICA

ATHENS, AUGUST 3 /SRNA/ - Greek firefighters are continuing to battle a major forest fire in western Attica, focusing their efforts on two active fronts.

The fire, which is burning in a mountainous area west of Athens near the town of Megara, remains active around the areas of Agios Nektarios and Kandili, where crews worked throughout the night to prevent new hotspots from developing.

Emergency alerts were sent to residents’ mobile phones before dawn this morning, ordering the evacuation of the settlements of Agia Skepi, Kandili and Bocika to the nearby coastal town of Nea Peramos.

Earlier, authorities ordered residents to leave Lumba, Ano Alepochori, Morfeika and Stanes Morfu and head towards Megara, Kathimerini reported.

Firefighters used bulldozers and other heavy machinery overnight to create firebreaks in an effort to slow the flames, while conditions remained particularly difficult in the Lumba area near the town of Vilia.

The fire broke out a day after two firefighting helicopters collided during operations over Psatha, a coastal area in western Attica. A Danish pilot and a Greek aerial operations coordinator aboard one of the aircraft were killed.

Police said today that, following the prosecutor's orders, they will investigate the circumstances and cause of the crash. The accident site has been secured, and investigators are carrying out a preliminary investigation.