Strong winds continue to fan several major forest and wildfires in Greece as the country remained on high alert on Saturday.
The situation is most critical around 60 kilometres north-west of Athens, with massive plumes of smoke clearly visible from the capital.
Several villages in the affected region were evacuated again on Saturday morning as a precautionary measure.
Twelve people were rescued from the beach by the coastguard in the bay of Porto Germeno, some 50 kilometres from Athens, the Kathimerini newspaper reported.
At least 10 houses were destroyed by fire in the area, according to public broadcaster ERTnews.
Some 325 firefighters and volunteers, 92 vehicles, 18 fire-fighting aircraft and 7 helicopters are currently deployed in the region, the fire service said on X.
Police have been working round the clock to manage traffic in the region near the popular Peloponnese peninsula. In the north of the Peloponnese, fires are also burning on two fronts.
A fire service spokesman said crews were battling blazes at 73 locations on Friday evening.
Meanwhile, firefighters have managed to bring a large blaze in the south of Crete under control. However, around 220 firefighters remain on the scene, according to Kathimerini.
Aerial firefighting operations are still not possible due to strong winds, while gusts are fanning existing pockets of embers, causing new, smaller fires to flare up.
Meanwhile, investigations are ongoing into the cause of the fire, which is believed to have been caused by damage to electricity pylons.
The situation remains critical across the country, as very strong winds are expected to persist.
Civil protection authorities have declared the highest alert level, red, for the greater Athens region and the southern half of the island of Euboea.
The second-highest level applies in Crete, the Peloponnese peninsula and Aegean islands such as the Cyclades and Chios, as well as Lesbos in the eastern Aegean.
Several European countries, including Spain, France, Turkey and Italy, have been fighting to contain a series of severe wildfires in recent weeks.
The blazes were fuelled by high temperatures and dry vegetation, with scientists pointing to climate change as the driver for more intense, frequent fires.
In the southern French department of Var, between Marseille and Cannes, a wildfire flared up again and spread rapidly on Friday, forcing some 2,500 people to evacuate.
Around 1,000 hectares were scorched within several hours, according to the prefecture. Authorities said late on Friday that 720 firefighters were deployed.
