Thousands flee in Greece as wildfires sweep through Mediterranean

FILE PHOTO: A man is silhouetted as he watches a wildfire burning in the village of Lasdikas near ancient Olympia, Greece, August 5, 2021. REUTERS/Giorgos Moutafis

ATHENS (Reuters) -Police went door to door on Friday urging people to leave their homes north of Athens and emergency crews struggled to stop wildfires from spreading to more towns as scorching winds fuelled blazes across Greece for the fourth day.

Greece, like much of the rest of Europe, has been grappling with extreme weather this summer. A week-long heatwave - its worst in 30 years - has sparked simultaneous wildfires in many parts of the country, burning homes and killing animals as flames tear through thousands of acres of land.