By the evening, the fire had covered an area of at least 800 hectares, which is equivalent to an area larger than 20 Stockholm Old Towns.
Temperatures of over 30 degrees, strong gusts of wind and dry vegetation have made firefighting efforts challenging. More than 200 people have been evacuated.
"The smoke was so thick, so suffocating that the firefighters urged us to leave," 99-year-old Danielle, who was evacuated, told the AFP news agency.
