Wildfire fanned by gales menaces Athens suburbs as residents flee

ATHENS, Aug 12 (Reuters) - Greece's worst wildfire this year spread into the Athens suburbs on Monday, forcing hundreds of people to flee as it torched trees, homes and cars overnight and choked busy roads with smoke and ash.

The government has called in help from fellow EU members to tackle the fire that is burning out of control for a second day, fanned by gale force winds that pushed it from the wooded hills north of the city.

Firefighters said flames, threatening apartment blocks, schools and businesses, had reached the deepest into the capital for over two decades.

More than 700 firefighters backed by volunteers, 199 fire engines and 35 waterbombing aircraft have been battling the conflagration that broke out at 3 p.m. on Sunday near the village of Varnavas 35 km (20 miles) north of Athens.

Greece has activated the European Civil protection mechanism and is expecting assistance from France, Italy, the Czech Republic with aircraft and firefighters. It has also been offered help by Spain and Turkey.

"The situation remains extremely difficult," said Vassilis Vathrakogiannis, a fire brigade spokesperson. "There are continuous flare-ups, constantly creating new outbreaks and spreading rapidly, aided by very strong winds."

Summers in Greece have long been marked by wildfires but hotter, drier weather linked to climate change have made blazes more frequent and intense. Wildfires fanned by extreme heat have also raged in parts of Spain and the Balkans.

As the flames closed in on backyards on the outskirts of Athens, some residents in the wooded and hilly Penteli neighbourhood stayed put, trying to put out pockets of fire using hoses or tree branches as smoke swirled around them.

"It hurts, we have grown up in the forest, we feel great sadness and anger," said 24-year-old resident Marina Kalogerakou, her mouth and nose covered by a red bandana as she poured a bucket of water on a burning tree stump.

Another resident, Pantelis Kyriazis, crashed his car as he tried to escape the encroaching flames. "I couldn't see, I hit a pine tree and this is what happened," he said, gesturing towards his damaged car and nursing a bleeding elbow.

Columns of smoke rose over the horizon and a burning smell cloaked Athens. The fire reached Vrilissia, around 14 km (8 miles) from the heart of the capital, albeit with highways separating the suburb from the city centre.

To the north, at the epicentre of the fire, firefighters and residents took stock of the damage: abandoned homes and vehicles gutted by fire; hillsides blackened; trees reduced to sticks.

"Thirty years I was building all this," said 81-year-old Vassilis Stroubelis as he stood in the entrance of his damaged home. "Thirty years and bam."

There were so far no reports of deaths. Thirteen people were treated by rescuers and medical staff for smoke inhalation and two firefighters for burns, Vathrakogiannis said.

More than 30 areas were forced to evacuate residents, along with at least three hospitals, and power cuts occurred in parts of the wider Athens region. Passenger ferries heading to the port of Rafina northeast of the capital were diverted.

In the community of Rampentosa, north of Athens, 75-year-old Michalis Tsourtis said he fled when he heard flames coming towards him "with a roar".

But others stayed behind, lamenting that they had been left to their own devices.

"Three, four policemen came to tell us to leave. We know that if we leave, no one will defend our house," 71-year-old Sofia Giannopoulou said.

Police had so far helped evacuate more than 250 people, and some residents spent the night in shelters.

The southeastern Mediterranean country this year experienced its warmest winter on record and is on track for its hottest ever summer. Large areas of Greece, including the location of this week's blaze, have seen little or no rain for months.

Greece is on high fire alert at least until Thursday with strong winds and temperatures forecast to reach up to 40 degrees Celsius (104 degrees Fahrenheit).

Authorities have called for an emergency response involving the army, police and volunteers during that period.