Greece tackles last of wildfire near Athens, assesses damage

Greek firefighters battled to extinguish the remnants of a wildfire near Athens that killed a woman, torched buildings, devoured woodland and forced thousands of people to flee their homes.

Most of the fronts had eased three days after the inferno had first taken hold, but officials warned against complacency as firefighters were still battling sporadic flare-ups.

Government inspectors were assessing damaged buildings and state infrastructure on August 14. Some fire-stricken residents returned to their scorched properties, hoping to find some belongings amidst the debris, while others were trying to overcome the shock.

Hundreds of firefighters assisted by dozens of aircraft have been tackling the blaze since August 11 as it barrelled from a forest off the town of Varnavas, 35 km from the capital, into Athens' northern suburbs.

Greece's National Observatory said the fire had damaged around 10,000 hectares of land. The cause of the blaze has not yet been determined.

Greece is on high fire alert until Thursday, with temperatures forecast to hit 40 degrees Celsius raising concern about possible flare ups.

Wildfires have been a common feature of Greek summers for years, but climate change has brought hotter weather and less rain, heightening the risk.