Wildfires rage on untamed in Greece, Portugal and Corsica
Greek authorities voiced suspicions that at least some of the several dozen fires that broke out on both the mainland and the island of Zakynthos over the weekend were started deliberately.
Over 4,000 firefighters were battling more than 250 wildfires in Portugal, which requested assistance from other European Union nations.
On Corsica, fires that have raged since Thursday forced the evacuation of 1,000 people, authorities said.
The latest blaze in Greece started Sunday afternoon in a pine forest and had damaged as many as 20 houses by night in a town north of the capital. Kalamos, a town some 44 kilometers (27 miles) north of Athens, is a favorite vacation spot for Athenians.
Authorities said they have shut down a large portion of the local road network as the blaze expanded in several directions, including toward Athens. They also evacuated two children's campgrounds.
Portugal Civil Protection Agency spokeswoman Patricia Gaspar said the country set an annual single-day record for new fires on Saturday, when 268 separate fires started. That surpassed the previous year-to-date high mark of 220 fires reached Friday.
While the weather isn't helping, nature was responsible for igniting a minority of the blazes, Gaspar said.
"We know that more than 90 percent of the fires have a human cause, whether intentional of from negligence. Both are crimes," she said.
