Temperatures soared in some western suburbs of the Greek capital, which next month plays host to hundreds of athletes from around the world, meteorologists said.

Similar temperatures, which are not extreme for Greece, were recorded in other regions across the country.

The Civil Protection Service and firefighters are on alert to tackle possible fires, the semi-official Greek ANA news agency said.

With temperatures high since Wednesday, the authorities are advising residents who suffer from respiratory or heart problems to stay home as a preventive measure.

Weather forecasters say temperatures will begin to drop again from Monday.

Strong winds in recent days have caused several forest blazes.

On Wednesday, a fire that broke out about 60 kilometres (40 miles) northwest of Athens spread quickly to a built-up region near an Olympic village which is due to host athletes for the August 13-29 games.

A 75-year-old man died, while 20 hectares of land were destroyed in the fire which took several hours to bring under control.

TERRA.WIRE