Athens, 18 July 2023 (dpa/MIA) - After a prolonged dry spell, several large forest and bush fires broke out in the greater Athens area of Greece on Monday.

The Civil Defence Department ordered the evacuation of many residents, affecting children's summer camps in several villages in eastern Athens and near the seaside resort of Loutraki in the west of the Greek capital. Houses were also burnt down there, state television showed.

After a relatively rainy and cool spring, these are the first large fires in Greece this year.

The conditions are difficult, especially because of strong winds, Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis told journalists in Brussels on the sidelines of the EU-Latin America summit on Monday.

He said the state was doing everything possible to contain the fires. "I would like to appeal to our citizens to follow the instructions of the Civil Defence," he said.

The top priority in firefighting is the protection of human lives, he said. Only then would come the protection of property and the environment. The fires are also a result of the climate crisis, which is being felt more intensely, he added.