BBC News, Athens
Greece is continuing to battle five major wildfires across the country amid a severe heatwave, with extreme temperatures expected to persist.
Temperatures are forecast to reach up to 44C (111.2F) on Sunday, as firefighters focus their efforts on two major fires, one on the island of Kythira and the other in Evia.
Fire brigade spokesperson Vasilios Vathrakoyannis said the situation had improved after an “all night battle” by firefighters, but warned that Sunday remained “extremely dangerous” for the outbreak of new wildfires.
Meanwhile, neighbouring Turkey has recorded its highest ever temperature, with fires raging in several regions.
Getty ImagesGreece’s climate crisis and civil protection minister Giannis Kefalogiannis previously said: “We have injured firefighters, human lives were put at risk, properties have been burned, and forest areas have been destroyed.”
High winds and scorching temperatures continued to fan the flames on Sunday. Greece has formally requested assistance from the EU Civil Protection Mechanism for six additional firefighting aircraft.
In Kythira, a blaze that broke out on Saturday morning in the village of Pitsinades spread rapidly, with residents describing scenes of “total destruction”.
A new evacuation alert was issued for several areas on Sunday, telling residents in Venetianika and Pitsinades to move towards Livadi.
By dawn, firefighters were still tackling flare-ups, supported by helicopters and two water-bombing aircraft.
On the island of Evia, officials said a second blaze near Pissona had got “out of control” on Saturday. Six firefighters were taken to hospital with burns and smoke inhalation, while several villages were left without power.
Local authorities said there were signs of improvement on Sunday, but a significant risk of flare-ups remained due to strong winds.
In Messinia, a third wildfire broke out in the Polithea area of Trifylia on Saturday morning and intensified later in the day. Officials reported significant damage to homes and agricultural land.
On Sunday, Vathrakoyannis said 67 firefighters were attending the Kythira fire and 100 were in Messinia, where an active front remained.
In Attica, the region where Athens is, a fire that started in Afidnes on Saturday spread rapidly through Drosopigi, Kryoneri and Agios Stefanos, forcing residents to flee.
While the fire service says the main front has been contained, scattered hotspots continue to burn.
The smell of burning wood carried as far as central Athens, as Greece requested European Union assistance to fight the spreading blaze.
Meanwhile, in Crete’s Chania region, firefighters are battling a 20km wildfire front that has swept through forest land, beehives, crops and livestock.
Strong southwesterly winds are complicating efforts to contain flare-ups, while several villages remain without electricity.
Last month, fires on Greece’s fifth-biggest island Chios, in the northern Aegean, destroyed 4,700 hectares (11,600 acres) of land.
Earlier in July, a wildfire on the island of Crete forced the evacuation of 5,000 tourists.
On Saturday, Turkey’s environment ministry said meteorologists had recorded a reading of 50.5C in the south-eastern city of Silopi, surpassing the previous heat record of 49.5C.
Firefighters have faced a four-day battle to contain a fire in the northern Karabuk province, AFP news agency reported on Sunday. On Wednesday, ten people died fighting a fire in Eskisehir, a province in the north-west, it added.
Some local authorities have announced restrictions on water consumption, including for the resort of Cesme on Turkey’s west coast.
