PATRAS, Greece (Reuters) -Firefighters battled multiple wildfires across Greece on Wednesday, including blazes threatening villages and towns near the western city of Patras and on two tourist islands.

Blazes burn a forest during a wildfire in the village of Kaminia near Patras city, western Greece, Tuesday, Aug. 12, 2025. Stamatina, 86, tries to extinguish a wildfire in Keratea, at the outskirts of Athens, Friday, Aug. 8, 2025. Wildfires continue to rage in Greece amid prolonged drought, prompting evacuations.

Dozens of new wildfires began Tuesday in Greece, prompting evacuations, with more than 100 fires burning. According to the Greek Fire Department Operations Center, firefighters are battling 106 fires in Greece,

Firefighters are battling several wildfires in Greece as a scorching heatwave wreaks havoc across southern Europe. In the past 24 hours alone, more than 152 new fires have broken out across Greece - and thousands of people have been evacuated. Around 4,850 firefighters are engaged in a multi-front battle to contain the flames.

Wildfires wreaked destruction across southern Europe, burning homes and forcing thousands of residents and tourists to flee.

Wildfires intensified across southern Europe on Wednesday with a round-the-clock battle to protect the perimeter of Greece’s third-largest city and at least three deaths reported in Spain, Turkey and Albania.

The European Union has sent two firefighting planes to Spain to help battle raging wildfires, after the country activated the bloc's disaster assistance mechanism for the first time. The assistance comes as the country recorded a third wildfire-related death on Thursday morning.

The European Union has sent two planes to assist Spain in taking care of wildfires, after Spain activated the EU Civil Protection Mechanism for the first time ever for forest fires.

A volunteer firefighter died from severe burns and several people were hospitalised as the state weather agency warned that almost all of the country was at extreme or very high risk of fire.