Athens (Greece), 26 July (LaPresse/AP) – A forest fire has spread to a northern suburb of the Greek capital Athens and some residents have been ordered to evacuate, according to the fire brigade. Residents of the town of Kryoneri, 20 kilometres north-east of Athens, received three text messages urging them to evacuate to safe areas, fire brigade spokesman Vassilis Vathrakoyannis told reporters. "There have been reports of damage. We will assess the situation once the fires have been extinguished,‘ the spokesman said. ’The real difficulties are yet to come," he stressed, adding that Greece had requested six firefighting aircraft from the European Union's Civil Protection Mechanism. One hundred and forty-five firefighters and 44 fire engines, 10 firefighting planes and seven helicopters have been deployed to the scene in an attempt to extinguish the fire, the cause of which is unknown. Four ambulances are assisting at least five residents, most of whom are elderly people with breathing difficulties. Temperatures reaching or exceeding 38 degrees, drought conditions and strong winds are fuelling the flames. In such conditions, forest fires “spread very quickly and become dangerous. These conditions are expected to persist in the coming days,” said Vathrakoyannis. Greek media have shown images of houses on fire.