Forest fire on Athens outskirts: officials

ATHENS: A large forest fire broke out early on Saturday on the northeastern outskirts of Athens, officials and reports said, threatening an army camp in the vicinity.

"The fire is moving through a wooded ravine and is burning across a large front," Nikos Peppas, the deputy mayor of the municipality of Dionysos, told state television NET.

"It's dangerous because an army camp is in the vicinity," he said.

The state-run Athens News Agency said a force of 100 fire-fighters, four aircraft and two helicopters had been dispatched to deal with the fire.

Greece suffers from a large number of fires every summer, that are usually aided by high temperatures and strong winds and are often attributed to arson.