The cradle of the Olympic Games is threatened by the forest fires ravaging Greece


The ancient city of Olympia - the cradle of the Olympic Games - is threatened by the forest fires ravaging Greece

About 100 fighters battle a fire near Olympia, Greece, on Wednesday

Olympia was evacuated as a precaution, as were other nearby villages

Meanwhile, a violent fire in Evia destroyed at least 150 homes

More forest fires near Athens caused smoke to rise that covered the ancient city

Wildfires threaten the ancient Greek city of Olympia, the birthplace of the Olympic Games, about 6,000 miles from Tokyo, where they are currently being held.

Pictures showed firefighters battling the fire as it raged across a hill near the world-famous archaeological site where the Olympic world Games were held every four years from 776 B.C. For more than a thousand years.

About 100 firefighters battled the blaze on Wednesday, with the help of three helicopters and two planes, at the site found in the Elis region, 115 miles west of the Greek capital, Athens.

Orders were issued to evacuate Olympia as a precaution, as well as seven other nearby villages. The area was devastated by enormous wildfires in 2007 that claimed dozens of lives.

Meanwhile, at least 150 homes were destroyed in a fierce fire that engulfed a monastery and dozens of villages on the Greek island of Evia on Wednesday, just one of about 40 fires that broke out in the heatwave-hit country.

No deaths or serious injuries were reported from any of the Greek wildfires.

A helicopter drops water over a mountain during a forest fire in the village of Platanos, near ancient Olympia, western Greece, Wednesday, August 4, 2021. About 100 firefighters were trying to battle the blaze on Wednesday.

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