Greece was battling for a fourth day on Monday forest fires that have killed 63 people and burned 20,000 hectares (50,000 acres). Here follows a list of major forest fires around the world in the past seven years:

— July, 2006: Six firefighters, including five from Chile, burned to death fighting a forest fire in Sao Famalicao da Serra, central Portugal

— July, 2005: A fire in Guadalaraja, central Spain, caused 11 volunteer firefighters deaths and burned 13,000 hectares

— January, 2005: Nine people died and dozens were injured in the worst forest fire in Australia in 20 years. Eighty thousand hectares go up in smoke

— May, 2004: Forest fires killed nine people, burned 5,000 hectares of forest and destroyed nearly 400 homes in the Russian region of Kurgan, east of the Urals

— October, 2003: Forest fires devastated California, killing 22 people, including two in Mexico. In fourteen days 300,000 hectares burnt, 100,000 people were evacuated, and 3,576 homes were destroyed.

— August, 2003: More than 36,000 hectares were destroyed in the west and southwest of Spain, as five people from the same family died in the flames

— April, 2003: Major forest fires burned through the Siberian region east of Lake Baikal, destroying 36,000 hectares. A fire-fighting helicopter crashed, killing 13, including four journalists.

— January, 2003: Numerous suburbs of Canberra, Australia's capital, went up in flames during a month-long effort to try and put the fires out. Four people died and 530 houses were destroyed, while 80,000 hectares burnt in Victoria province.

–August, 2000: The western United States was ravaged by multiple blazes over one month, killing 13 people and burning 560,000 hectares

The worst three fires ever recorded occurred over three continents:

— May, 1987: China sustained its worst fire in recent history, killing 119, injuring 102, and leaving 51,000 homeless

— August, 1949: Eighty-two firefighters died in southwest France

— October, 1871: Between 800 and 1,200 people died in Peshtigo, Wisconsin, in the northern United States when a forest fire swept through the area, destroying the town of 17,000 residents and ravaging 16 other villages. More than 500,000 hectares were burnt.