Nuns were persuaded to leave their convent and people were rushed away from their homes in Mandra, Greece, as fires raging around Athens intensified.
Huge fires whipped by gale-force winds left a trail of devastation, decimating pine forests, destroying homes and forcing thousands to flee as flames tore through terrain turned tinder dry by extreme heat. The EU has weighed in with help to combat wildfires, dispatching four Canadair water bombers.