Although fires that threatened the northern suburbs of Athens largely died down on Sunday, the situation worsened on the Greek island of Evia. The fires ripped through Evia's dense forests, cutting off escape routes on land and prompting rescues via sea on Greece's second-largest island.
Air turbulence and surging wind from the fires are making it difficult for water-bombing planes and helicopters. Greece's emergency crews have been bolstered by firefighters, equipment and aircraft from Romania, Ukraine, France, Switzerland, Spain and Egypt. Germany is also preparing to send over 200 firefighters.
Timesofoman.com reports that the blazes, which began Tuesday last week, were triggered by Greece's worst heat wave in more than three decades.
Italian wildfires
Similarly, this weekend experts warned that wildfires pose a grave danger to nature reserves and agriculture in southern Italy. The region's fruit varieties like peaches, cherries and nectarines could drop by up to 50%, warned the Coldiretti agricultural association.
Sicily and Sardinia are currently struggling to contain wildfires, with officials warning that an impending heat wave this week could make things worse.