IT was one panicked wrong turn that ended in utter tragedy.

Fleeing the devastating fires that ravaged the village of Mati, one group of families drove along a trail towards what they believed to be the ocean.

But at one point, the group of 26 made a wrong turn, and instead came to a dead end, The Times reported.

In front of them was a cliff edge. Behind them was a wall of fire.

Within minutes, all of them — including a baby, believed to be six months old — were gone.

Nikos Economopoulos, head of Greece’s Red Cross, told Skai TV about the 26 bodies found in the garden of a villa in Mati.

He said: “They had tried to find an escape route but unfortunately these people and their kids didn’t make it in time. Instinctively, seeing the end nearing, they embraced.”

“I could not stop or do anything to help,” one resident told the Athens-based Skai television network. “I was chasing my wife and daughter, shouting to them to jump in the sea. We were all in a state of panic, shock and awe.”

Another said: “Mati doesn’t even exist as a settlement anymore. I saw corpses, burnt-out cars. I feel lucky to be alive.”

The next morning, a team of Red Cross volunteers found the 26 charred bodies huddled together.

At least 74 people have been killed, 1000 homes have been destroyed and more than 150 people are injured after two devastating fires, fanned by 160km/h winds, ravaged holiday resorts in Greece.

People were urged to leave their homes after high winds whipped up forest fires on either side of Athens.

Devastating stories are emerging of families who drowned at sea and corpses that were trapped by flames.

“Residents and visitors in the area did not escape in time even though they were a few metres from the sea or in their homes,” fire brigade spokeswoman Stavroula Maliri said.

The inferno was thought to be Greece’s deadliest, with the death toll higher than fires which ravaged the southern Peloponnese peninsula over several days in August 2007.

Officials are using US military drones “to observe and detect any suspicious activity” after it emerged that 15 of the blazes broke out at the same time in different locations outside Athens.

According to local media, there is growing speculation that the flames may be the result of arson.

One of the fires started in Kineta, around 48km west of Athens, while another broke out in Mati, northeast of the capital, late on Monday afternoon.

The fires soon spread into packed tourist spots in seaside areas, trapping those who were in their cars or homes.

The flames were mostly contained by Tuesday afternoon, but still burning in some areas.

The Greek government has declared a state of emergency, issuing an urgent appeal to other European countries for helicopters and additional firefighters.

The nation has gone into mourning in the wake of the fires.

Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras cut short a visit to Bosnia due to the intensity of the incident, declaring a period of mourning in Greece.

“Greece is going through an unspeakable tragedy,” he said. “We will do whatever is humanly possible to control it.

“Today, Greece is mourning and we are declaring three days of national mourning in the memory of those who perished.

“Everyone should keep their temper and take care to protect the most precious good that is human life.”

At this stage no Australians are among the dead or missing.

“The Australian Embassy in Athens has confirmed with local authorities that no Australians are known to be affected by forest fires near Athens at this time,” a spokesperson for DFAT said. “The Embassy continues to monitor the situation closely.”