Wildfire North of Athens Contained

Fire officials say that a wildfire that swept across a mountain range north of Athens was under control Friday.

The blaze on Mount Penteli was the third this summer in the mountains that ring the Greek capital in the country’s worst forest-fire season in years.

The fire gutted more than 20 houses and forced hundreds of people from their homes, Kathimerini reported. It also burned one of the last remaining patches of forest on the mountain, the Athens News Agency said.

The fire started Thursday morning in four different spots, suggesting that it was deliberately set.

The facts point to arson. The fires started on a number of fronts with a large distance between them, Nea Pendeli Deputy Mayor Christos Feidopiastis told Kathimerini.

At least 10 people were treated for smoke inhalation and hundreds lost electrical power. Hundreds of firefighters and volunteers joined the battle, equipped with 60 fire trucks and 19 planes.