As the fires raged up to ten holidaymakers were feared missing as tourists were forced off beaches east of Athens for dramatic boat rescues.
The fires have destroyed dozens of homes, burned cars and prompted tourists and Greeks to flee to beaches
Homes have been destroyed in the blaze and parts of the country have declared a state of emergency.
The two major forest fires are burning out of control on either side of Greece’s capital, burning houses, prompting residents to flee and turning the sky over Athens a hazy orange from the smoke.
Greece’s coast guard says a search-and-rescue operation is underway for the 10 people, believed to be foreign tourists, who fled a massive forest fire in a boat and were missing.
A coast guard helicopter and vessel were searching the sea near the town of Rafina, northeast of the Greek capital of Athens.
They acted after receiving notification from Danish authorities, who had received a call from someone in Greece saying they were among a group of 10 people who fled a forest fire in a boat.
Residents have been forced to flee their homes as the fire spreads
Regional authorities have declared a state of emergency in the eastern and western parts of the greater Athens
A firefighter wears a flame resistant uniform as wildfire burns in the town of Rafina
The country has appealed for international help to cope with the fires near the capital and the Prime Minister, Alexis Tsipras, cut short a visit to Bosnia due to the scale of the emergency.
He returned to Athens to preside over an emergency response meeting with fire chiefs and government officials.
Regional Greek authorities have declared a state of emergency in the eastern and western parts of greater Athens, as fires fanned by gale-force winds raged through pine forests and seaside towns on either side of the Greek capital.
A firefighter tries to extinguish hotspots during the wildfires which have claimed the lives of at least 20 people
Cars are blocked at the closed National Road during a wildfire in Kineta, near Athens
A volunteer directs vehicles as a wildfire burns in Kineta
The first fire broke out in a pine forest near the seaside settlement of Kineta 30 miles west of Athens between the capital and Corinth.
At least 150 firefighters were on the scene while five water-dropping planes and seven helicopters helped to fight the blaze from the air.
