Homes were burning, electricity had been cut and the fire had approached the Olympia museum opposite the shrine to Zeus, they said. The museum had been evacuated, a source in the culture ministry said.

The fire had also burned forested land near the site and heavy smoke covered the region.

Thirty firefighters backed up by a plane, three helicopters and 11 vehicles were battling the flames, officials in Athens said.

Olympia, in the Peloponnese peninsula, is a UNESCO world heritage site which has been inhabited since prehistoric times and in the 10th century BC became a centre for the worship of Zeus.

In addition to temples, there are the remains of all the sports structures erected for the Olympic Games held at the site from 776 BC until the fourth century AD.

Culture Minister Georges Voulgarakis had left Athens to visit the area, the ministry said.