A new blaze was reported on the Peloponnesian Peninsula in Greece as the wildfires reached the ancient site of Olympia on Saturday.

State broadcaster ERT reported that the fire in the Ilia region, in the western part of the southern peninsula, spread with the help of strong winds to reach residential areas.

Some settlements were evacuated as a precautionary measure.

Meanwhile, on the Greek island of Rhodes, off the coast of southwestern Türkiye, where fires were under control as of Friday, fire brigades remain on standby in case of new fires.

Authorities sent a cellphone message to citizens and tourists in some areas saying: "You can safely return to your homes."

According to the Fire Risk Forecast Map published by Greece's Climate Crisis and Civil Protection Ministry, the fire risk for tomorrow is set at category 4, or "very high."

Four people died in recent forest fires in the country.

Civil defense authorities ordered the evacuation of several villages a few kilometers northwest of Olympia as a precaution via warning text messages and Twitter.

Roads in the area were also closed. The emergency services said 29 fire crews, five planes and a helicopter were deployed.

Wildfires broke out in many parts of the country this month as temperatures rose above 40 degrees Celsius. For the first time in more than a week, the authorities assessed the forest fire risk as slightly lower on Saturday – but many regions are still considered risky.

After a prolonged heat wave and drought, the island of Rhodes and the area around the town of Anchialos were among the areas worst affected. Fires there had been extinguished or at least brought under control by Saturday.