LONDON– Hundreds of firefighters battled fast-spreading wildfires near Athens in scorching temperatures across Greece on Monday, disaster and weather officials said, as evacuations are underway in the region.

Government officials warned of a high fire risk in several areas, including the Athens peninsula and the Boeotia region to the northwest.

In both areas, the danger level has been raised to five, meaning there is extreme fire danger, weather officials said in a statement released Sunday.

Dozens of flames blazed on Monday at the edge of a fire that broke out in Varnavas on Sunday afternoon, Colonel Vassilios Vathrakogiannis of the country’s fire service said in a statement.

The fire was shaken by strong winds, he said, adding that these “make the work of the civil protection forces on the ground extremely difficult.”

More than 700 firefighters and nearly 200 vehicles are working with civil protection authorities, he said, adding 18 helicopters and 17 other firefighting aircraft have been deployed since the fire spread in Varnavas.

Two firefighters were injured, Vathrakogiannis said. One suffered minor burns and the other had breathing problems. Thirteen other people received medical treatment for minor breathing problems, he said.

Countries such as France, Italy and the Czech Republic are sending aid, including firefighters and vehicles, officials said.

Authorities have issued evacuation orders for several towns north and northwest of Athens, including New and Old Penteli, Patima Chalandriou, Patima Vrilission, Krasa Ano Vrilission, as well as Dionysus and Marathon, Vathrakogiannis said.

According to Reuters, over 30,000 residents were ordered to evacuate Marathon towards the neighboring beach resort of Nea Makri.

More than 250 people were evacuated near Athens with the help of police officers, Greek police said on social media. About 380 officers were deployed in the area with dozens of vehicles and two-wheelers, police said.

Local rescue services have been informed that they should be on “higher civil protection alert to respond immediately to any fire incidents,” the Ministry of Climate Crisis and Civil Protection said.

According to the Greek National Meteorological Center, temperatures near Athens were expected to rise to around 35 degrees Celsius on Monday before rising to around 38 degrees Celsius on Tuesday and Wednesday.

ABC News’ Ellie Kaufman contributed to this report.