Greece battles major wildfire as Thessaloniki residents evacuate

Firefighters are battling a major wildfire near Thessaloniki, Greece’s second-largest city by population.

Residents of the city’s northern suburbs have been urged to evacuate. Authorities do not currently expect the fire to spread directly toward Thessaloniki, but strong winds are complicating firefighting efforts, Caliber.Az reports per the Associated Press.

The blaze broke out in mountain gorges and quickly spread to lower-lying areas. No homes have been damaged, although several businesses were affected by the fire. Some of the impacted warehouses reportedly contained flammable materials.

Local authorities said a 76-year-old man was arrested on suspicion of arson. Fire officials reported that he was intoxicated at the time.

Aircraft have been deployed to assist in efforts to contain the wildfire.

By Jeyhun Aghazada