Thousands of people have been evacuated from the Greek island of Crete as powerful winds drive wildfires towards villages and popular tourist areas.
About 8,000 people were evacuated overnight in the Rethymno region, where wind gusts reached 125km per hour. The evacuations followed the deaths of two firefighters on Wednesday after they became trapped near Krya Vrysi. A third firefighter also died in a separate fire near the Peloponnese port town of Gytheio.
The wildfire in Rethymno, western Crete, began on Wednesday and has reportedly destroyed homes and agricultural land. It is among the largest fires currently burning on the island, with the fire front stretching for more than 15km (9.3 miles).
Maria Lioni, Rethymno’s Deputy Regional Governor, said the full extent of the damage remained unclear because the fire was still active. She said containing the blaze remained the authorities’ main priority and described Wednesday as a “dark day” for the region.
Winds reached up to 11 on the Beaufort scale overnight, a level classified as violent. The extreme conditions have made firefighting particularly difficult, with local media reporting that aircraft were unable to operate on Thursday morning because of the strong winds.
Some residents evacuated from the affected areas have been transferred to temporary accommodation in a neighbouring municipality. Authorities have also arranged facilities and supplies for tourists caught up in the emergency.
July is one of Crete’s busiest periods for tourism, with millions of visitors travelling to the island each year. Temporary shelters have therefore been established to accommodate both local residents and tourists displaced by the fires.
Around 224 firefighters have been deployed to the affected region, supported by 53 fire engines, 11 specialist units and two aircraft, according to Greece’s fire service.
Greek Fire Service chief Theodoros Vagias paid tribute to the two firefighters who died on Wednesday. They were identified as 58-year-old Emmanouil Stratidakis and 25-year-old Pantelis Diamantakis. Both were due to be buried on Thursday.
The deadly fires in Crete are part of a wider wildfire crisis affecting several parts of southern Europe. In Spain, about 600 people were evacuated near the Portuguese border because of a fire in Zamora.
In Portugal, five people were injured by a fire in the eastern town of Valpaços, according to local reports. Meanwhile, wildfires near Madrid have stopped spreading, allowing thousands of residents to return to their homes.
A major blaze in Spain’s Ávila province has burned more than 43,000 hectares (108,000 acres) over the past week and is now considered the largest recorded wildfire in the country’s history.
Hundreds of homes have also been evacuated in Turkey, although authorities said most fires in the affected areas had been brought under control.
France is also battling major wildfires. A blaze in the Gironde region has burned around 42,000 hectares (103,784 acres), making it the country’s largest wildfire since 1949. Despite temperatures reaching 41C (106F) in recent days, the fire has not expanded for a third consecutive day, while cooler conditions and rain are forecast.
Several regions in south-eastern France were placed under orange heatwave alerts from Thursday afternoon as temperatures remained dangerously high.
Scientists say climate change is contributing to rising temperatures and worsening wildfire conditions around the world. Europe is warming faster than any other continent and is experiencing temperatures that are increasing at roughly twice the global average, according to the Copernicus Climate Change Service.
The changing climate is contributing to more frequent and intense summer heatwaves, increasing pressure on water resources and creating conditions that can allow wildfires to spread rapidly across Europe.
