Fire destroys cars, houses near Athens as Greece battles blazes

Hundreds of firefighters in Greece struggled Thursday to gain the upper hand against major wildfires burning unchecked for a sixth day, leaving 20 dead. A dangerous blaze continued to burn on Mount Parnitha near Athens, in the largest forest adjoining the capital, threatening a national park for a second day.

Fire department spokesman said that there was an "explosion of fire" in a forest ravine early Thursday that renewed the threat to inhabited areas. The largest front was in the north, where a mega fire that erupted on Saturday near the port city of Alexandroupoli has now formed a unified front of over 15 kilometers.

The bodies of 19 people believed to be migrants, two of them children, were found in the area this week. Officials have warned that as the area is a popular entry point for smugglers from neighboring Türkiye, more casualties are likely to be found among asylum seekers who could not escape the flames.