ATHENS, Greece — Hundreds of firefighters in Greece on Saturday were battling to save a popular coastal resort northwest of Athens as violent winds continued to lash the country, hampering operations.

The fire department said over 300 firefighters were operating in the area of Porto Germeno, some 70 kilometers (45 miles) northwest of Athens in the region of Viotia.

“The fire has reached the sea… homes have certainly been damaged,” a fire department spokesman told AFP.

“The winds are very strong. Aircraft are trying to operate as best they can, but some are unable to and have been transferred to another fire (in the Peloponnese) where conditions are milder,” he added.

The fire broke out Friday near the neighboring coastal village of Agios Vasileios. Residents initially ignored a civil protection call to evacuate, and some 300 people had to be rescued by sea.

Theodore Giannaros, a wildfire meteorologist and senior researcher at the National Observatory of Athens, said on Saturday that the damage to the Porto Germeno area was “inconceivable.”

????????????Fire Greece Porto Germeno Attica – Meteology Live App pic.twitter.com/eljgilorwc — Meteology Live (@AppMeteology)........

© The Times of Israel