Wildfire spreads near Athens amid scorching heat, prompting evacuations orders

LONDON -- Hundreds of firefighters were battling fast-moving wildfires Monday near Athens amid scorching temperatures throughout Greece, emergency and weather officials said.

Government officials warned of an high fire hazard in several areas, including the Athens peninsula and the Boeotia region northwest of it.

Both areas were among those where the risk category was raised to five, meaning there's an extreme risk of fire, weather officials said in a statement released Sunday.

Dozens of blazes were burning Monday along the edges of a fire that broke out in Varnavas on Sunday afternoon, Col. Vassilios Vathrakogiannis, of the country's fire service, said in a statement .

That fire had been buffeted by strong winds, he said, adding that they were "making the work of civil protection forces on the ground extremely difficult."

More than 650 firefighters and 190 vehicles were working with the Civil Protection agencies, he said. Seventeen helicopters and 16 other firefighting aircraft had been in use since the Varnavas blaze began spreading.

Two firefighters were injured, Vathrakogiannis said. One had minor burns and the other had respiratory issues, he said. Thirteen other people have been provided medical care for minor respiratory issues, he said.

Officials issued on Monday evacuation orders for several towns north and northwest of Athens, including Anatoli, Daou Penteli, Nea Penteli and parts of Dione, according to 112 Greece, the country's emergency hotline.

More than 250 people were evacuated with the help of police officers near Athens, the Greek Police said on social media. About 380 officers were working in the area, with dozens of vehicles and two-wheelers, police said.

Local emergency responders were notified they should be "on increased civil protection readiness in order to face any fire incidents immediately," the Ministry of Climate Crisis and Civil Protection said.

Temperatures near Athens were expected to climb on Monday to about 95 degrees, before spiking to about 100 degrees on Tuesday and Wednesday, according to the Hellenic National Meteorological Center.

ABC News' Ellie Kaufman contributed to this report.