Aerial view of Greek island ravaged by wildfires | In Pics

Wildfires leave behind more than 50,000 hectares of charred landscape on Evia, Greece's second-largest island east of Athens and the scene of some of the worst devastation in the past week.

Hundreds of firefighters from across Europe and the Middle East worked alongside Greek colleagues in rugged terrain Wednesday to contain flareups of the huge wildfires that ravaged Greece's forests for a week, destroying homes and forcing evacuations.

As Greece's massive wildfires appeared to largely recede Tuesday, the country's civil protection chief defended the firefighting efforts, saying every resource was thrown into the fight against what he described as the fire service's worst challenge ever.

A burnt mountain after a wildfire near Agriovotano village on Evia island, about 181 kilometers (113 miles) north of Athens, Greece.

Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis on Thursday described the devastating wildfires that burned across the country for more than a week as the greatest ecological catastrophe Greece had seen in decades.

In this satellite image provided by Maxar Technologies wildfires burn north of Athens, Greece on the island of Evia, where some of the most destructive and active fires continue to burn.

Pillars of billowing smoke and ash turned the sky orange and blocked out the sun above Greece's second-largest island Sunday as a days-old wildfire devoured pristine forests and encroached on villages, triggering more evacuation alerts.