# Thousands of people living around Athens fled their homes today, including in the historic town of Marathon, as a huge wildfire front crept closer to the Greek capital. Authorities ordered at least five more communities and two hospitals northeast of Athens to leave after eight nearby villages, including Marathon, were told to evacuate yesterday. Marathon’s mayor Stergios Tsirkas said the town, which gave its name to the long-distance race that is the centrepiece of the Olympics, was facing a biblical catastrophe.
Thousands of people living around Athens flee their homes as wildfire crept closer