ATHENS (Reuters) -A wildfire killed at least one person and burned houses and farmland in a town outside Athens on Friday as Greek firefighters struggled to contain a series of blazes at the start of what is forecast to be several days of gale-force winds.

Eleven planes, 12 helicopters and 170 firefighters were deployed around Keratea, 30 kilometres southwest of the capital, and residents were called to evacuate, the fire brigade said.

Much of the area has seen barely a drop of rain in months. Wind gusts of up to 80 kilometres per hour fanned the fire, setting olive tree orchards alight. Images on local media showed houses engulfed in flames.

Firefighters discovered the body of an elderly man in a burned-out structure in Keratea, Greek Fire Brigade Spokesman Vassilis Vathrakogiannis sai

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