(CNN)Flames swept through a residential town outside Athens overnight as wildfires burned across Greece for a fifth day on Saturday, and hundreds of people were evacuated by ferry from the island of Evia east of the capital.
The fire on Mount Parnitha on the outskirts of Athens has forced the evacuation of thousands of people since late Thursday, with emergency crews facing winds and high temperatures as they battle to contain its spread.
Wildfires have erupted in many parts of the country amid Greece's worst heatwave in more than 30 years, tearing through tens of thousands of acres of forestland, destroying homes and businesses and killing animals. Temperatures have been over 40 Celsius (104 Fahrenheit) all week.
A man watches from the water as a wildfire approaches Kochyli beach near Limni village on Evia island.
Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis, speaking after visiting the main fire control centre in Athens on Saturday, called it a "nightmarish summer," adding the government's priority "has been, first and foremost, to protect human lives."
The government planned to reimburse people affected by the fires and would designate the burned land as areas for reforestation, he said.
More than 700 firefighters, including reinforcements from Cyprus, France and Israel, have been deployed to fight the blaze north of Athens, assisted by the army and water-bombing aircraft.
Overnight on Saturday, strong winds pushed the fire into the town of Thrakomakedones, where it burned homes. Residents had been ordered to evacuate and there were no immediate reports of casualties.
"(It's) really bad," said Thanasis Kaloudis, a resident of the town. "All of Greece has burned."
Fires on Evia, Greece's second biggest island, are scattered from one end on the Gulf of Euboea across to the other, facing the Aegean Sea.
Hundreds of people, including many elderly residents, were evacuated by ferry late on Friday from the town of Limni on Evia as flames reached the shore and the sky turned an apocalyptic red.
Photos: In photos: Europe battles wildfires amid scorching heatwaves
Firefighters try to extinguish a wildfire near the town of Olympia, Greece on Thursday, August 5.
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Residents react during a wildfire near Olympia on Thursday.
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The grounds of a burnt hotel are seen in Lalas village, near Olympia, on August 5.
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People move belongings to safety as a forest fire rages in a wooded area north of Athens, Greece, on August 5.
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A wildfire approaches the Olympic Academy, foreground, in Olympia, Greece, on Wednesday, August 4.
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The remnants of a destroyed house are seen here in the Varibobi area, northern Athens, on August 4.
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Onlookers view the smoke from the wildfires blanketing Athens' Acropolis on August 4.
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A charred area of Mugla, Turkey, after a forest fire on Tuesday, August 3.
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Smoke and flames rise over the village of Limni on the Greek island of Evia, on August .
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Firefighters work as a house burns in the Adames area of northern Athens on August 3.
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A woman pours water over a baby's head at a fountain in Skopje, Republic of North Macedonia, as temperatures reached over 40 degrees Celsius (104 degrees Fahrenheit) on Monday, August 2.
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A man leads sheep away from an advancing fire on August 2, in Mugla, Turkey.
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People watch an advancing fire that rages around Cokertme village, near Bodrum, Turkey, on August 2.
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Local residents watch as a Greek army Chinook helicopter collects water to tackle a wildfire near the village of Lambiri, Greece, on Sunday, August 1.
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A handout photo from the Italian National Fire Brigade shows an aerial view of a fire in the Pineta Dannunziana reserve in Pescara, Italy, on August 1.
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A man surveys a fire at Le Capannine beach in the Sicilian town of Catania, Italy, on Friday, July 30.
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Firefighters battle a massive wildfire that engulfed a Mediterranean resort region on Turkey's southern coast near the town of Manavgat, on Thursday, July 29.
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A firefighter talks to his colleague as they work to put out fires in Cuglieri, on the Italian island of Sardinia, on Monday, July 26.
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A firefighting helicopter passes in front of a cloud of smoke from a forest fire near Spathovouni village, southwest of Athens, Greece, on Friday, July 23.
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Authorities have battled more than 400 wildfires across the country in the last 24 hours, with the biggest fronts still burning in the north of Athens, Evia and areas in the Peloponnese including Mani, Messinia and ancient Olympia, the site of the first Olympic Games.
One man died on Friday after being injured by electricity pylon in a fire-stricken area near Athens, and at least nine others have been injured, authorities said.
Residents in suburbs north of Athens have been forced to leave in a hurry with the few belongings they can take.
"Our business, our home, all of our property is there. I hope they don't burn," Yorgos Papaioannou, 26, said on Friday, sitting in a parking lot with his girlfriend as ash fell around them from the smoke-filled sky.
He had left the town of Polydendri when police ordered him and his girlfriend to leave. read more
In neighbouring Turkey, authorities are battling the country's worst-ever wildfires. Flames sweeping through its southwestern coastal regions forced the evacuation of tens of thousands of people. In Italy, hot winds fanned flames on the island of Sicily this week.
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