In the suburbs of Athens, people are fleeing for their lives, evacuating by the hundreds from hospitals and homes and monasteries, leaving however they can. As a brutal heatwave whips up, Greece's worst wildfire so far this year, blanketing the Greek capital with thick smoke, torching everything in its path, and turning the sky into an ominous shade of red. Authorities calling this fire, exceptionally dangerous, with flames more than 80 feet high. The wind would go in one direction than the other, this North Athens man says. The smoke was suffocating. You couldn't see. Your eyes teared up. You couldn't breathe. Greece declaring an all-out war on this place. 700 firefighters, 190 fire angels, and dozens of planes and helicopters working around the clock. As residents take matters into their own hands, putting out flames however they can. More than a dozen injuries, including Pantela's Kyriasis from a village northeast of Athens. He says, The flames surrounded I couldn't see. I hit a pine tree, and this happened. It's a crisis that Greece braces for every year, with extreme heat and dry, windy summers fueling unrelenting wildfire seasons like the one last year. I got a first-hand look at the damage.

On the outskirts of Athens, the fire burned so hot that parts of this car literally melted off.

More than 20 people died in last year's fires, and scientists say climate change is making it worse. Fiercer wildfires, not just in Greece, but across Southern Europe. With temperatures this week expected to surge to 104 degrees Fahrenheit, fears tonight in Greece that the worst may be yet to come.

Josh is joining us now. It's only been about a day, and this fire has really exploded here. Talk us through what's next.

Yeah, and it's continuing to explode, Halley. According to the most recent estimates, that fire is now only about eight miles from the heart of Athens. And so you can think what a densely populated area that is with all kinds of historical sites like the that authorities are very concerned. The Prime Minister of Greece, he has returned early from his vacation to be part of an all-hands-on deck response to this fire that now includes help from other countries in Europe. As part of a mechanism that's part of the EU agreement, Greece has called on other nations to send resources as well. We know the French and the Italians are sending aircraft, and now other countries are sending firefighters as well as other equipment to try to help get that fire out, Halley.

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