Three firefighters killed in Greece as wildfires rage across southern Europe

Three firefighters have died in Greece as crews across southern Europe continue to fight unprecedented wildfires.

The fires in parts of France, Spain and Greece have scorched hundreds of thousands of acres and, at their peak, driven a third of a million people from their homes and holiday sites.

Two firefighters died on Wednesday while battling a wildfire in the Rethymno region of Crete, Greece’s fire department said.

Jose Antonio, 73, surveys the damage to his home destroyed by a wildfire near Pelayos de la Presa, Ávila province, Spain. / Credit:

They were among about 125 firefighters confronting flames fanned by strong winds.

The department said they died “in the line of duty to protect the lives and property of citizens and the natural environment.”

A third firefighter also died on Wednesday outside the fire perimeter, after tackling a separate blaze in Greece’s southern Peloponnese region.

Higher humidity, cooler temperatures and forecasts for rain have raised hopes of relief for France’s Gironde region, where wildfires have scorched an area four times the size of Paris in recent weeks.

National weather service Météo-France forecast light rain in the town of Lège-Cap-Ferret, on the peninsula that has been at the forefront of the devastated area.

Local officials reported a “rather calm” night, with the fire not spreading beyond the 42,000 hectares (around 162 sq miles) already affected.

Fire crews remained on “total mobilisation”, with 2,200 firefighters and more than 20 aircraft deployed.

The Gironde wildfire forced 220,000 people to evacuate at the height of the crisis. Tens of thousands have since been allowed to return home, but authorities warned the danger had not yet passed.

Embers smolder inside an olive tree in Crete. / Credit: AP

Extreme heat strips moisture from vegetation and drives down humidity, turning grasses, brush and forest litter into faster-burning fuel.

Investigators believe contractors working near a high-voltage line for power-grid operator Enedis ignited the blaze while using a brush-cutting machine, Bordeaux prosecutor Renaud Gaudeul said.

At the height of the crisis, roughly 330,000 people were evacuated across France and Spain.

Tens of thousands of people began returning home in central Spain after firefighters made progress around Madrid and Ávila.

Evacuation orders were lifted for about 20,000 people in the Madrid region, while stay-at-home restrictions ended for another 14,000.

Subscribe for free to our weekly newsletter for exclusive and original coverage from ITV News. Direct to your inbox every Friday morning.

But 10,000 people remain under evacuation orders in Castellón, where a fire was still out of control as Spain braced for its fourth heat wave of the summer.

More than 448 square miles (1,160 square kilometres) have burned across France this year, according to the Interior Ministry.

Europe is the world’s fastest-warming continent, warming at more than twice the global average, according to the European Union’s Copernicus climate service.

Western Europe recorded its hottest June on record, with extreme heat and widespread dryness contributing to the spread and intensification of fires in France and Spain.