Two people have died in a rugged mountainous area in central Greece while trying to help firefighters tackle a forest fire that has forced several villages to be evacuated, authorities have said.

The fire near Corinth, 140 kilometres (87 miles) west of Athens, was still burning on Monday, fanned by fierce winds.

Greek police spokeswoman Constantina Dimoglidou said the recovered bodies were severely burnt and that laboratory tests were necessary for their identification.

The fire brigade has launched an investigation, the Greek Ministry of Citizen Protection said.

Smoke from the fire, which burned several homes and a church, hovered over the capital throughout Monday.

Greece, like other southern European countries, is plagued by destructive wildfires in the summer that have been exacerbated by global warming. The country this year has experienced its hottest-ever summer after its warmest winter on record, which left large areas with scant or no rain.

Over the past few months, authorities have had to cope with more than 4,500 wildfires in countryside left parched by a protracted drought and early summer heatwaves, in what was considered the most dangerous fire season in two decades.