Greece is facing the worst heat wave in 30 years, with temperatures up to 45 degrees Celsius.
A volunteer firefighter died while working to put out a fire that threatened Athens' most important national park, Mount Parnitha, and at least 20 other people were injured.
Thousands of residents and vacationers have fled by land or sea. Uncontrollable fires burned homes, farms and businesses in Greece as ferries evacuated 1,153 people from the island of Evia.
Residents tried to create new paths for the blaze with the help of tractors and other equipment, as fires burned pine forests and displaced them to the coast. More than 150 fires have been reported; on the northern outskirts of Athens people were urged to evacuate.
Civil defense chief Nikos Hardalias, speaking during a conference Friday night, said firefighters faced "extremely dangerous, unprecedented conditions" as they battled 154 fires this week, with 64 still going on at night.
Fires are a common occurrence in Greece and other countries in the Mediterranean, both in Turkey and in our country, but EU officials have expressed concern about the climate crisis exacerbating the problem.
Southern Italy, Spain, Albania and northern Macedonia have been hit by fires this hot season. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan described the fires in Turkey as the worst in the country's history.
Sources: Guardian, Euronews, BBC
