Greek firefighters battle deadly wildfires on Crete for a second day

Greek firefighters were battling deadly wildfires on the island ‌of Crete for a second day on Thursday, as wildfires continue to spread across Europe following ‌days of devastating blazes in Spain and France. On Wednesday, three Greek firefighters died battling blazes during high winds on ​Crete and on the mainland, and two more were lightly injured.Two firefighters died after becoming trapped in the Crete fire near the village of Krya Vrysi in the centre of the island while they ​were driving between fire fronts. Another died in a separate fire in the Peloponnese region.Hundreds of residents ⁠and tourists were evacuated on Wednesday from Krya Vrysi and other nearby villages ‌by ‌sea ​and by land in the centre of the island as high winds pushed the fire out of control near popular holiday ⁠spots.On Thursday, more than 200 ​firefighters with dozens of fire engines and ​water-carrying aircraft battled two wildfires on the island of Crete, where agricultural crops and ‌olive groves were destroyed and warehouses and ​a few houses were damaged.READ MORE“Unfortunately there is no improvement, and the latest information indicates ⁠that winds will increase later ⁠in the day,” said ​Giorgos Tsapakos, deputy regional governor for civil protection on Crete, on SKAI TV.“Aircraft were unable to operate this morning due to the strong winds,” he said. On Wednesday, the head of the EU’s emergency response centre said Greece and Italy were set to face a heightened wildfire risk in the coming weeks. Europe, the world’s fastest-warming continent, has endured record-breaking heatwaves this year as ‌human-driven climate change intensifies the ⁠heat and drought that enable wildfires to spread faster.Blazes have forced large-scale evacuations of people in Spain and France over the last few days, ‌scorching through forests and killing wildlife.Burnt-out vehicles are seen in a classic car garage ravaged by a wildfire in Chapineria, 50 kilometres west of Madrid, on Wednesday. Photograph: Miguel Riopa/AFP via Getty Images On Wednesday, Spanish interior minister Fernando Grande-Marlaska warned of “three tough days” ahead, with ​strong winds and high temperatures, even as the major fire ​in the Avila and Madrid region stabilised, allowing authorities to lift some of the evacuation and shelter-in-place orders. In France firefighters battled on Thursday to prevent the spread ​of wildfires near Bordeaux, the local administration responsible for the area said.[ Ireland needs stronger deterrents against deliberately starting wildfires, ecologist saysOpens in new window ]The fires had ​not spread compared with the previous days, ⁠the local administration for La Nouvelle Aquitaine ‌et ‌de ​la Gironde added in a statement on X. The amount ⁠of ​ground burnt remained at 42,000 ​hectares (103,784 acres). Thousands have had to evacuated in order to escape the flames and smoke. – Reuters