A damaged house is seen in a burnt forrest in Mandra, west of Athens, Greece, on Wednesday, July 19, 2023. Wildfire evacuations have continued for a third day outside the Greek Capital as a second heat wave hit the Mediterranean country from the west after days of record-high temperatures baked southern Europe. (AP Photo/Thanassis Stavrakis)

ATHENS – Greece’s Fire Service intensified water drops west of Athens where a huge blaze was contained overnight, as authorities braced Thursday for a new round of extreme weather.

Seven firefighting planes and nine helicopters were operating in the area, including four planes sent from Italy and France as part of a European Union support mechanism.

Searing heat across Europe’s Mediterranean south has maintained a high or very high risk of fires in Spain, Italy and Greece.

Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis said the Fire Service and civil protection authority will remain on alert as a new heatwave moved eastward across Greece that is expected to push temperatures to 45 degrees Celsius (113F) Sunday.

“The hard times are clearly not over yet,” Mitsotakis said. “We are facing another heatwave and a possible strengthening of the winds. So, absolute vigilance and absolute readiness are required over the next few days.”

A state of emergency was declared Thursday on the island of Rhodes, where evacuation orders were issued for several mountain areas.

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