Southern Europe battles wildfires as 3 firefighters die in Greece
Three firefighters were killed battling wildfires in Greece as crews across southern Europe fought blazes fueled by extreme heat, drought and strong winds, while France struggled to contain a fire in the Gironde region that has burned an area four times the size of Paris.
The deaths on Crete added a grim dimension to a wildfire emergency stretching from France and Spain to Greece. At the height of the crisis, about 330,000 people were forced to flee their homes and holiday destinations in France and Spain.
In France's Gironde region, more than 2,200 firefighters and over 20 aircraft remained deployed Wednesday as temperatures approached 40 degrees Celsius and strong winds threatened to reignite the country's largest active wildfire.
Authorities said the blaze had not spread significantly overnight but warned that the threat remained high as conditions worsened during the day.
Investigators believe the fire may have been sparked by brush-clearing work near a high-voltage power line, although the work appeared to have complied with regulations, Bordeaux prosecutor Renaud Gaudeul said.
The fire forced about 220,000 people to evacuate at its peak. While tens of thousands have since been allowed to return home, authorities ordered another 4,000 people to leave tourist sites along the Atlantic coast on Tuesday.
Gironde prefect Sophie Brocas said the situation remained dangerous, while allowing about 60,000 evacuees to return to three Bordeaux suburbs that were not affected by the fire.
Extreme heat and drought have left vegetation exceptionally dry, allowing fires to spread rapidly. Météo-France said Wednesday was expected to be the hottest and driest day of the week, with elevated wildfire danger across the country.
In Greece, two firefighters died Wednesday while battling a wildfire in the Rethymno region of Crete, the country's fire department said. About 125 firefighters, four helicopters and four water-dropping aircraft were deployed to fight the flames, which were being pushed by strong winds.
A third firefighter died Wednesday outside the fire zone after responding to a separate blaze in Greece's southern Peloponnese region.
The circumstances of the deaths were not immediately clear. Greece's fire department said the firefighters died while protecting the lives and property of citizens and the natural environment.
In Spain, tens of thousands of people began returning home after firefighters made progress in containing fires around Madrid and Ávila. Evacuation orders were lifted for about 20,000 people in the Madrid region, while stay-at-home restrictions were ended for another 14,000.
However, about 10,000 people remained under evacuation orders in Castellón, where a fire was still out of control as Spain prepared for its fourth heat wave of the summer.
More than 1,160 square kilometres have burned across France this year, according to the Interior Ministry.
Europe is the world's fastest-warming continent, with temperatures rising at more than twice the global average, according to the European Union's Copernicus climate service. Extreme heat and widespread dryness have contributed to the spread and intensification of wildfires across France and Spain.
