ATHENS, July 27 (Xinhua) -- Greek firemen were battling on Tuesday a major wildfire fanned by strong winds in the villages of Stamata and Rodopoli in the eastern Attica region in Greece, about 23 kilometers northeast of Athens.

The fire brigade had to reinforce the teams as the fire was threatening residential areas.

According to the local authorities, 141 firefighters were deployed in the area along with 45 vehicles, 12 helicopters and eight aircraft.

An emergency 112 alert has been issued to nearby residents urging them to keep doors and windows closed to prevent sparks from entering the buildings.

Due to the strong wind gusts, the flames were spreading quickly, posing a threat to the inhabited areas.

"The strong winds reaching six on the Beaufort scale make the firefighters' mission very difficult," the Fire Brigade's spokesman, Vassilis Vathrakogiannis, told the Greek national news agency AMNA.

Greece suffers from scores of destructive wildfires each summer linked to high temperatures and arson. Enditem

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