One person has died in a large forest fire raging since Sunday night in the Greek region of Boeotia north-west of Athens, officials said on Monday.

The Greek fire brigade confirmed that an 80-year-old shepherd had tried to save his animals from the flames.

It said he fainted due to the smoke and probably suffocated.

The blaze erupted on Sunday night for unknown reasons and spread quickly due to strong winds in the region.

Several other wildfires in Greece continued to challenge firefighters on Monday.

According to the Greek Civil Defence, the Attica region, where the capital Athens is located, and the neighbouring areas were at the highest fire danger level on Monday.

Stormy winds were blowing there in the morning and are expected to continue for the next few days.

“The wind is our biggest enemy,” a spokesman for the fire brigade said.

The beach town of Paralia Saranti was evacuated on Monday morning as a precaution.

A fire near the north-eastern Greek port city of Alexandropoulis, which had been raging for days, has not yet been controlled.

Twelve villages and settlements were evacuated over the weekend as a precaution.

However, many people have since been able to return, it said. 

(dpa/NAN)