Three flames broke out in Greece on Sunday, forcing hundreds of people to flee their homes as rising temperatures stoked worries of additional burning.
The nation is currently experiencing a heatwave that started on Saturday and will likely endure for 10 days. In certain areas, the temperature was expected to increase to 42 degrees Celsius (107 degrees Fahrenheit).
The worst is still to come, according to experts who blamed global warming for the record-breaking temperatures.
Greece saw severe fires in the north, east, and south, notably on the island of Lesbos.The deputy mayor of western Lesbos informed Skai radio that authorities ordered the evacuation of about 200 people from the Lesbian village of Vryssa on Sunday afternoon as flames grew more dangerously close to homes, about 500 metres (1,600 feet) away.
Elderly women boarded the first buses leaving the village while carrying plastic bags with only a few personal items. The first homes in Vryssa were already being engulfed by thick clouds of smoke.
A day earlier, the fire started, forcing hundreds of visitors and locals to leave the coastal village of Vatera.
At least four homes were burned in Vatera, and a number of businesses, including hotels and beach bars, were also damaged by fires.Early on Sunday, dozens of firemen fought the flames as two helicopters and four water-dropping planes were in use.
A wildfire raged for a fourth day at Dadia National Park, an area of northern Evros famous for its black vulture colony.
A little more than 500 hectares (1,220 acres) of forest have already been burnt by the fire.
Over 300 firefighters fought to put out the fire in Evros, but by late Saturday, the dense smoke was forcing residents of the village of Dadias to leave. How many people were evacuated is unknown.
