One dead as wildfires rage across Athens suburbs

One person has died as fierce wildfires reached the suburbs of Athens in Greece on Monday.

The body, believed to be that of a woman, was found inside a shop in the town of Vrilissia, northern Athens, a source from the fire service told the BBC.

Thousands of people have been evacuated after firefighters warned that homes, businesses and schools were under threat, with fires expected to continue into Tuesday.

Fire service spokesman Vassilios Vathrakogiannis said there were many “active hotspots” in the the north-eastern Attica region, but that there were some signs of improvement overnight into Tuesday.

Greece has just experienced its hottest June and July on record.

More than 700 firefighters, 199 fire engines and 35 waterbombing aircraft have been involved in efforts to extinguish the fire, which first broke out on Sunday afternoon around 35km (22 miles) north of the Greek capital.

Aircraft were forced to land as night set in on Monday, but ground operations will continue through the night.

In unprecedented scenes, people in Athens have been wearing facemasks to protect themselves from the smoke, which has blown into the city.