Wildfires sweep across Greece amid scorching heatwave

Athens: Multiple wildfires erupted across Greece on Saturday, placing enormous strain on firefighting resources as the country endures one of the most intense heatwaves in recent years.

According to the Greek daily Kathimerini, blazes were reported simultaneously in Evia, Messinia in the Peloponnese, Kythera Island, and the Thessaloniki region in northern Greece. Firefighters are battling the flames on multiple fronts under extreme and dangerous conditions.

The most critical fire is burning out of control in Pissonas, a village located at the foothills of the Dirfi mountain range, northeast of Halkida, the capital of Evia. Authorities issued a 112 emergency alert, urging residents to evacuate toward the village of Afrati.

Thick smoke and erratic winds have trapped several fire engines -- some of which have already been engulfed in flames -- while aerial firefighting efforts are hampered by poor visibility. Livestock facilities in the area have sustained significant damage.

In Messinia, a forest fire in the area of Polithea prompted three emergency alerts, including evacuation orders for the villages of Kryoneri and Sellas. Two storage buildings were reported damaged.

On Kythera Island, the villages of Aroniadika, Pitsinades, and Araioi were evacuated due to a fast-spreading blaze in a rural and forested area.

Meanwhile, in Arethousa, a mountainous zone in Thessaloniki's Volvi municipality, another wildfire broke out in an agroforestry area.

The widespread fires come as Greece grapples with an extreme heatwave, with temperatures soaring beyond 42 degrees Celsius in many areas and peaking at 45.8 degrees Celsius in Skala, Messinia -- one of the fire-affected regions -- according to the National Observatory of Athens.

The intense heat has elevated wildfire risk across the country, stretching firefighting capabilities and placing critical infrastructure under severe pressure.