Three firefighters killed as deadly wildfires rage across southern Europe

The wildfires now stretch across a vast area from the Atlantic coast.Three firefighters died while battling fast-moving wildfires in Greece as an intense heatwave continues to fuel blazes across large parts of southern Europe, forcing hundreds of thousands of people from their homes and stretching emergency services.Greece's fire department said the firefighters lost their lives while tackling separate fires on the island of Crete and in the country's southern mainland. The deaths came as soaring temperatures and strong winds made firefighting operations increasingly difficult.The wildfires now stretch across a vast area from the Atlantic coast to the eastern Mediterranean, affecting countries including France, Spain, Greece and Turkey. Fire experts have expressed concern over the number of large blazes burning close to populated areas, warning that many remain difficult to contain.France recorded temperatures of 38C in Bordeaux on Wednesday, where firefighters prevented a major forest fire from spreading into nearby suburbs. In Spain, temperatures reached 37C in Madrid as authorities reported progress in containing the country's largest wildfire on record.Spanish Interior Minister Fernando Grande-Marlaska said the blaze west of Madrid had been "technically stabilised", although emergency crews continued working to eliminate remaining hotspots.Emergency services said dozens of firefighting teams managed to contain the Madrid-area fire overnight. However, another wildfire near València remained out of control despite relatively cooler temperatures of around 32C.Speaking from the Navalcarnero emergency command centre, Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez said conditions around Madrid were improving but warned that the coming hours would remain critical."I believe the next 12 hours will be very important," Sánchez said. "They are going to be decisive in consolidating the work done by the national civil protection system."He also noted that the Madrid wildfire had become the first in Spain's history to be raised to "operational level 3", requiring the national government to assume responsibility for managing the emergency.Authorities across western Europe said the latest heatwave, the region's fourth this summer, has significantly increased the risk of wildfires. High temperatures combined with powerful winds have made existing fires harder to extinguish while raising the possibility of previously controlled blazes reigniting.Fresh fires also prompted new evacuations in parts of Greece and Turkey.In France, officials said calm weather overnight had allowed firefighters to quickly deal with flare-ups. However, authorities warned that changing weather conditions could make firefighting more difficult in the coming days.The Gironde prefecture said 126 firefighters had been injured since the wildfire began, although the total area burned remained unchanged at about 42,000 hectares on Wednesday morning.According to data from the European Forest Fire Information System, France has recorded its largest area burned by wildfires, while both France and Spain have experienced an unusually high number of fires for this stage of the year.More than 330,000 people across southern Europe have been forced to leave their homes or hotels because of the fires.As conditions improved in some areas, officials lifted evacuation orders around Bordeaux, Madrid and València, allowing many residents to return. Some found their homes damaged or destroyed, with buildings reduced to burnt shells and personal belongings charred by the flames.The European Union has expanded support for countries battling the fires. Earlier this week, the European Commission deployed seven aircraft and four helicopters to France from several member states, including Sweden and Turkey.Spain also received international assistance, with six firefighting aircraft from Greece, Italy and Turkey, along with 134 personnel and 41 vehicles from Portugal. A Super Puma helicopter from Serbia was expected to arrive in Madrid on Wednesday, followed by another 40 emergency personnel and 18 vehicles.The European Union's crisis management authorities warned that the wildfire season is far from over and said they expect further outbreaks in countries such as Italy and Greece in the coming weeks as extreme summer conditions persist.