Europe's devastating wildfire season claimed the lives of three Greek firefighters as crews continued battling blazes fueled by repeated heatwaves and strong winds across southern Europe. Two firefighters were killed while fighting fires on the island of Crete, while a third died near the Peloponnese port of Gytheio, according to Greece's fire department.
The fires, stretching from the Atlantic coast to the eastern Mediterranean, have alarmed emergency officials and climate experts as many continue burning near populated areas. New outbreaks have also forced evacuations in Greece and Turkey, while firefighters warn that persistent heat and strong winds are making the blazes increasingly difficult to contain and raising the risk of fires reigniting in areas that had already been stabilized.
Spain reported some progress after emergency crews managed to stabilize its largest wildfire on record near Madrid. Authorities lifted the remaining evacuation orders in Avila province and the last two evacuated towns west of the capital, allowing thousands of residents to return home. Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez said the coming hours would be "decisive" in securing the gains made by firefighters after the blaze became the first wildfire in Spanish history to reach the country's highest emergency response level.
