Three Greek firefighters have died while responding to wildfires in Crete and the Peloponnese, as parts of southern Europe continue to face dangerous fire conditions, BBC News reports.
Two firefighters were killed in western Crete after being trapped when flames moved through the Rethymno region. Several villages were evacuated as strong winds intensified the fires. A third firefighter died after being found unconscious near Gytheio, a port town in the southern Peloponnese.
Witnesses said fires on Crete spread rapidly, with the largest front reaching about 15km. Residents and tourists were moved out of Krya Vrysi, the mountain village where the two firefighters died. Resident Chrissa Gioukaki told Reuters that the wind was so strong it was sometimes difficult to stand, and described the flames as frightening.
Further fires have been reported on the Greek islands of Paros and Lesbos, and near Trifylia on the mainland. In southern Turkey, a fire in Muğla province led to the closure of the main road linking Fethiye and Antalya, while part of a hospital was evacuated.
Spain and France are also experiencing a fourth heatwave of the summer as crews work to prevent recently contained fires from flaring up again. Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez said the next 12 hours would be decisive for efforts to extinguish a fire near Madrid, citing high temperatures, low humidity and the risk of wind gusts.
More than 43,000 hectares have burned at Burgohondo in Ávila province, west of Madrid, in what is now described as the largest recorded wildfire in Spanish history. Across Spain this year, more than 207,000 hectares have been burned by wildfires.
Authorities have allowed thousands of people to return home after restrictions were eased in areas including Toledo, Madrid, Ávila and Castellón. However, one fire remains out of control at Vall d'Uixó, north-west of Valencia.
In south-west France, major fires in the Gironde region are described as stabilised, although officials have warned of dry winds and temperatures reaching up to 41C. Gironde and Landes are among 16 departments under an orange heatwave alert.
Fires are also burning in Portugal's north-eastern Vila Real district, where civil protection officials told public broadcaster RTP that crews were monitoring an active fire front near Valpaços, including risks to a water treatment plant and a gas depot.
The Copernicus Climate Change Service says Europe is warming faster than any other continent, at twice the global average, a trend linked to more frequent summer heatwaves, growing pressure on water supplies and more intense wildfires.
