by Maria Spiliopoulou

ATHENS, April 15 (Xinhua) -- A wildfire was raging on Sunday in western Greece near ancient Olympia, the birthplace of the Olympic Games, 300 km southwest of Athens, local authorities said.

The flames were not threatening the village and the archaeological site where the first Olympics were held 2,500 ago, but two nearby villages were evacuated as a precautionary measure, according to a Fire Brigade press statement.

Dozens of firefighters assisted by locals were trying to contain the blaze which broke out on Sunday afternoon, but their efforts were hampered by strong winds blowing in the area, according to Greek national news agency AMNA.

The causes of wildfire were not yet determined on Sunday evening.

Greece suffers from many wildfires in particular during the summer due to high temperatures and arsonists.

In the summer of 2007 when flames had reached the ancient stadium of Olympia, Greece mourned more than 80 victims of wildfires nationwide.