PATRAS, Greece (Reuters) -Firefighters battled multiple wildfires across Greece on Wednesday, including blazes threatening villages and towns near the western city of Patras and on two tourist islands.

Dozens of new wildfires began Tuesday in Greece, prompting evacuations, with more than 100 fires burning. According to the Greek Fire Department Operations Center, firefighters are battling 106 fires in Greece,

Firefighters are battling several wildfires in Greece as a scorching heatwave wreaks havoc across southern Europe. In the past 24 hours alone, more than 152 new fires have broken out across Greece - and thousands of people have been evacuated. Around 4,850 firefighters are engaged in a multi-front battle to contain the flames.

Wildfires wreaked destruction across southern Europe, burning homes and forcing thousands of residents and tourists to flee.

Wildfires intensified across southern Europe on Wednesday with a round-the-clock battle to protect the perimeter of Greece's third-largest city and at least three deaths reported in Spain, Turkey and Albania.