Firefighters battled and contained almost 100 fires across the country at the weekend, including one that burnt more than 250 hectares in Ipiros in the northwest and another that wiped out 150 hectares of forest and scrub in the Peloponnese in the southwest, the emergency services said in a statement.

A fresh fire broke out in Agii Theodori, 60 kilometres (37 miles) south of Athens on Sunday and raced towards homes before it was brought under control a few hours later by firefighters supported by planes and helicopters.

Early Sunday, firefighters contained a fire on the Ionian island of Zakinthos which swept through 100 hectares of scrub and crops in the mountainous Skopos area, firefighters said.

A fire on Saturday in a ravine at the foot of Mount Hymettus near Athens was beaten back before it could threaten nearby houses.

Investigators were probing the cause of Thursday's fire that razed 60 homes, 500 hectares of forest and 200 hectares of crops near the port of Rafina, 30 kilometres (18 miles) northeast of Athens, an area where illegal real estate development is rife.