Thousands are forced to flee when the fires reach Athens

The extreme heat wave around the Mediterranean continues, as do the countries' fight against huge forest fires.

On Tuesday, thousands of Athens residents were forced to leave their homes and watch from a distance as the fires spread further into the northern parts of the city.

500 firefighters, several helicopters and the Greek military have been deployed to fight the flames.

The latest to join is the Russian plane Beriev Be-200, reports AP.

In the suburb of Varybóbi, about ten houses have been destroyed.

Shops and holiday homes have been badly damaged.

High temperatures in several parts of the country

Several villages have been evacuated and the motorway connecting the capital with the northern and southern parts of the country has been closed for periods.

It is hoped to be able to extinguish the fire before it reaches the densely populated parts of the capital.

At the same time, more fires are raging in the southern parts of Greece, 300 km from Athens.

In several parts of the country, the temperature reaches up to 40 degrees Celsius.

The heat is hard on the electricity grid in the country.

It is not just the flames that threaten to knock out the power supply.

This week, 42 ​​degrees Celsius was measured and according to AP, a large use of air conditioners now also threatens Athens' electricity grid.

See how the fire gets into the city in the video above.