Greek wildfire near Athens recedes ATHENS (Reuters) - A wildfire that burned rural land near Athens and sent some residents fleeing their homes receded on Sunday with firefighters expecting to put out the blaze within hours. Greek authorities on Saturday asked other EU countries to send water bombing airplanes to reinforce efforts to fight the fires. Two Italian Canadair aircraft with a total of 10 crew members left Ciampino airbase outside Rome early on Sunday bound for Greece, the European Commission said. The four workers were charged with starting the blaze through negligence, police said. The picture has improved as winds changed direction, blowing towards the area that was already burnt. Flare ups are being dealt with," a police official said. It destroyed at least 10 small warehouses with four firefighters taken to hospital with breathing problems. Hot and dry summers mean forests are more frequently brought to the tinder-box conditions that allow fires to spread rapidly with devastating consequences. Reporting by George Georgiopoulos in Athens and Charlie Dunmore in Brussels; Editing by Sophie Hares