Two dead and hundreds evacuated as wildfires break out near Athens - BBC News

About 200 firefighters worked to keep the fires from converging on Salamina, with one now under control.

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Watch: Firefighters tackle blazes fanned by high winds on the island of Salamina

Two people died and and hundreds were evacuated after two fires broke out "almost simultaneously" on a Greek island near Athens on Sunday afternoon, officials said.

About 200 firefighters were deployed to keep the twin fires from converging on the island of Salamina, which was under a high wildfire risk on Sunday.

The first blaze was reported at 14:40 local time (11:40 GMT) near the island's south coast and spread rapidly due to high winds, followed by a separate fire some 20 minutes later in the east. Their cause is not yet known.