Deadly, destructive wildfire near Greek capital weakens, but firefighters 'remain on high alert'

Greece's worst wildfire of the year eased on the outskirts of Athens, the capital, on Tuesday, thanks to weaker winds, pausing progress of a destructive blaze that killed one person and torched cars, buildings, fields and forests.

Hundreds of firefighters backed by 10 waterbombing aircraft had battled the blaze since Sunday, as it barrelled from a forest into Athens's northern suburbs, torching homes and stirring panic in neighbourhoods that had not seen such a fire so close to the centre in decades.

"The situation has improved, but there are random blazes. At the time being we don't have any new fronts, only some rekindlings, but we remain on high alert," said a fire brigade official.

The government has announced compensation and relief measures for victims of a fire that Greece's National Observatory said had damaged around 10,000 hectares of land.

Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis is expected to chair a ministerial meeting about the fire on Tuesday evening.

As the smoke-filled skies cleared above Athens, firefighting aircraft arrived from France and Italy as part of a European civil protection mechanism, a government official said. The Czech Republic sent 75 firefighters and 25 engines to assist ground teams.

The blaze on Monday reached the suburb of Vrilissia, about 14 kilometres from central Athens, where a 64-year-old woman was found dead inside a local business, witnesses said.

The cause of the wildfire was not yet determined.

With high winds expected to pick up again, Greece will remain on high fire alert until Thursday, with temperatures forecast up to 40 C.

Wildfires have been a common feature of Greek summers for years: Its deadliest blaze killed 104 people in the seaside town of Mati in 2018. But climate