ATHENS – The breathing air in the basin of Athens has greatly improved following the blanketing of the Greek capital in smoke from the Evia wildfire on Tuesday morning, Athens National Observatory said.

Collaborating researcher for the Observatory’s Meteo program Thodoris Giannaros said to Athens-Macedonian News Agency that smoke from the fire was temporarily trapped in the Attica basin, which increased the concentration of air particulates.

Conditions will further improve in the capital as northerly winds are expected to subside on Tuesday evening and change direction, reducing the transfer of smoke from Evia to Athens.

Regarding the smoke that covers the Peloponnese, it comes from the wildfire near Thebes, Viotia, he said.