Greek firefighters tackle major forest fire in conservation area near Athens

Experts warn of a huge ecological disaster' after blaze in the Geraneia mountains

Hundreds of firefighters battled Greece's first major forest fire of the summer on Saturday, as experts warned of a huge ecological disaster" in a nature conservation area near Athens.

The fire, which broke out late on Wednesday in the Geraneia mountains 55 miles (90km) west of the capital, is one of the biggest in the past 20 to 30 years, and has come early in the season", fire chief Stefanos Kolokouris told ANT1 television.