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.

Thousands were evacuated from areas of popular holiday islands in Greece on Wednesday as firefighters battled wildfires across the country.

Flames embattled houses, factories and farmland, with residents and tourists of popular holiday islands of Zakynthos and Cephalonia seen fleeing.

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.

A rapidly spreading wildfire near Patras, western Greece’s third-largest city, is posing a significant threat to infrastructure and homes as intense heat accompanied by strong winds ignites the fire across southern Europe.

Greece Wednesday battled to contain more than 20 wildfires including one menacing its third-largest city Patras as a heatwave stoked blazes and forced the evacuation of