Firefighters battled the country’s last major blaze in southern Greece today, after managing to bring under control hundreds of others that for one week ravaged large parts of the country and killed at least 64 people.

Fires tore through parched forests and swallowed villages across Greece, bearing down on communities near Ancient Olympia in the south today. At least 49 people were dead.

Forest fires that have claimed at least 40 lives raged uncontrolled across vast areas of southern Greece today as a new blaze threatened buildings on the fringes of Athens.