ATHENS, August 26 (RIA Novosti) - Forest fires near the Greek capital of Athens were brought under control on Wednesday, a spokeswoman for the country's fire service said.
"The fires have been localized. We are not saying that they were put out completely due to fears that they might rekindle," she said.
The fires, to the northeast of Athens, have been burning since Friday evening. Over 200 houses in suburban areas have been damaged, with 60 of them completely destroyed by the flames.
More than 30,000 hectares (74,000 acres) of forest burnt on August 22-24, some 20,000 hectares (49,000 acres) close to the capital. Thousands of residents have been evacuated, but no deaths have been reported.
Firefighters fear that strong winds that have resumed near Athens might fan the flames again. A wildfire is currently being extinguished some 25 km to the west of the capital.
The government has already announced compensation for people whose property was damaged in the fires.
In 2007, wildfires that raged for 10 days on Greece's Peloponnese Peninsula claimed 65 lives.
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