ATHENS - Greece on Wednesday counted the cost of devastating fires outside Athens that claimed one life, forced thousands to flee their homes and took three days to control. With the smoke still to clear, civil protection officials said the fire devoured 10,000 hectares (nearly 25,000 acres), destroying about 100 homes as well as other building and cars. While isolated fires still burned, there were no major active blazes, but some 530 firefighters and 145 vehicles were monitoring events, said the fire service. “The fire is not as intense as it was in the last few days,” a fire service spokesman told AFP. “But there are still a few spots that could cause the fires to flare up again.” The fire broke out on Sunday at Varnavas, near the historic town of Marathon, 40 kilometres (25 miles) northeast of Athens. Investigators think a faulty electricity pole may have been the cause, the Kathimerini newspaper reported. Strong winds fed the flames, turning it into the worst wildfire this year in Greece. As the flames approached the suburbs of the capital, teams from France, Italy, the Czech Republic, Romania, Serbia and Turkey mobilised through an EU scheme to help Greece master the fires. The reinforcements have not yet been used in the Athens fire, the fire brigade spokesman said.