Firemen get breathing space in battle to protect Athens

Exhausted Greek firefighters were today scrambling to exploit a lull in the high winds which have forced thousands of residents to flee their homes in Athens.

Six major fires were burning today across Greece, including blazes on the islands of Evia and Skyros in the Aegean and Zakynthos in the Ionian Sea. But the most dangerous was the fire near the capital.

As forecasters predicted that gale-force winds would pick up again today, fanning the 30ft flames, Athens regional governor Yiannis Sgouros said: "There are some signs of optimism but no letting up of the firefighting effort. We have a chance to contain this nightmare that has burned the city's main forest area."

He added: "After this, we will assess the extent of this catastrophe — how many homes were destroyed, and how much damage was done."

At least five people were being treated for burns and several dozen have reported breathing problems after the wildfires began on Friday.

Fires also raged at the coastal town of Nea Makri and nearby Marathon — site of one of ancient history's most famous battlegrounds — to the north-east of the capital, and at Vilia to the north-west. At Nea Makri, where a blaze tore down a hill, a dozen nuns were rescued from a Christian Orthodox convent. Volunteers with water-soaked towels around their necks beat back the flames as the evacuation took place.

At first light today, 17 water-dropping planes and helicopters swooped over flames near populated areas, trying to knock down the fire before the stronger winds expected later in the day. Aircraft from France, Italy and Cyprus were on their way today to help.

Prime Minister Costas Karamanlis toured the affected area yesterday. The mayor of Marathon, Spyros Zagaris, was among several local leaders who accused the government of having no coherent plan to fight the fire.

But a government spokesman said: "A massive effort is under way to contain these fires. From the first moment, we had the presence of firefighting personnel on a large scale." He said the number of people involved in state-organised evacuations was "limited" and most have now returned to their homes.

Summer fires are frequent in Greece, usually caused by high temperatures and winds, drought or arsonists, often land developers or farmers seeking to extend grazing rights.