Photos Show Scale of Devastation From Deadly Athens Wildfires

At least 74 people have been killed
July 24, 2018 4:37 PM EDT

Fast-moving wildfires near Athens have killed 74 people, authorities said on Tuesday. Raging flames destroyed houses, hollowed out cars and left behind smoldering debris as the fires tore through the towns of Rafina, Kineta and Mati near the Greek capital.

More than 170 people were injured in the wildfires and treated at local hospitals. Rescue workers said 26 of the dead were found huddled together holding each other in groups of three or four in a compound located northeast of Athens. Several tourists and residents attempted to escape the fires by heading toward the sea, with some swimming away in the rough waters. Authorities said more than 700 people were evacuated by boat from the beaches.

One image of the inferno shows people watching as the flames spread through a community. Another shows firefighters transporting a body in Mati. Another captures heavy smoke hanging over the Parthenon temple at the Acropolis in Athens.

A house is threatened by a huge blaze during a wildfire in Kineta, near Athens, on July 23, 2018. (Valerie Gache—AFP/Getty Images)
A house is threatened by a huge blaze during a wildfire in Kineta, near Athens, on July 23, 2018.
Valerie Gache—AFP/Getty Images
A firefighter wears a flame resistant uniform as wildfire burns in the town of Rafina, near Athens on July 23, 2018. (Costas Baltas—Reuters)
A firefighter wears a flame resistant uniform as wildfire burns in the town of Rafina, near Athens on July 23, 2018.
Costas Baltas—Reuters
People watch as wildfire spreads through the town of Rafina, near Athens on July 23, 2018. (Angelos Tzortzinis—AFP/Getty Images)
People watch as wildfire spreads through the town of Rafina, near Athens on July 23, 2018.
Angelos Tzortzinis—AFP/Getty Images
Smoke from a wildfire burning outside Athens is seen over the Parthenon temple atop the Acropolis hill in Athens on July 23, 2018. (Alkis Konstantinidis—Reuters)
Smoke from a wildfire burning outside Athens is seen over the Parthenon temple atop the Acropolis hill in Athens on July 23, 2018.
Alkis Konstantinidis—Reuters
Tables and chairs of a seaside cafe are seen burned following a wildfire at the village of Mati, near Athens on July 24, 2018. (Alkis Konstantinidis—Reuters)
Tables and chairs of a seaside cafe are seen burned following a wildfire at the village of Mati, near Athens on July 24, 2018.
Alkis Konstantinidis—Reuters
A firefighter walks among burned cars, following a wildfire at the village of Mati, near Athens on July 24, 2018. (Costas Baltas—Reuters)
A firefighter walks among burned cars, following a wildfire at the village of Mati, near Athens on July 24, 2018.
Costas Baltas—Reuters
A photo shows a burned house following a wildfire at the village of Neos Voutzas, near Athens on July 24, 2018. (Angelos Tzortzinis—AFP/Getty Images)
A photo shows a burned house following a wildfire at the village of Neos Voutzas, near Athens on July 24, 2018.
Angelos Tzortzinis—AFP/Getty Images
A woman sprays water outside the ruins of her house near the village of Neos Voutzas near Athens on July 24, 2018. (Yorgos Karahalis—AP/Shutterstock)
A woman sprays water outside the ruins of her house near the village of Neos Voutzas near Athens on July 24, 2018.
Yorgos Karahalis—AP/Shutterstock
Firefighters transport a body in Mati on July 24, 2018. (AFP/Getty Images)
Firefighters transport a body in Mati on July 24, 2018.
AFP/Getty Images
Books inside a burned house in the village of Neos Voutzas, near Athens, on July 25, 2018. (Angelos Tzortzinis—AFP/Getty Images)
Books inside a burned house in the village of Neos Voutzas, near Athens, on July 25, 2018.
Angelos Tzortzinis—AFP/Getty Images
People sort supplies for residents rescued from the wildfire in the village of Nea Makri near Athens on July 24, 2018. (Yorgos Karahalis—AP/Shutterstock)
People sort supplies for residents rescued from the wildfire in the village of Nea Makri near Athens on July 24, 2018.
Yorgos Karahalis—AP/Shutterstock
A volunteer arranges clothes for residents in Nea Makri, near Athens on July 25, 2018. (Alkis Konstantinidis—Reuters)
A volunteer arranges clothes for residents in Nea Makri, near Athens on July 25, 2018.
Alkis Konstantinidis—Reuters
A woman cleans her balcony next to a burned apartment in Mati on July 25, 2018. (Thanassis Stavrakis—AP/Shutterstock)
A woman cleans her balcony next to a burned apartment in Mati on July 25, 2018.
Thanassis Stavrakis—AP/Shutterstock
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