Greek firefighters battle deadly wildfires on Crete for a second day
Authorities evacuated about 8,000 people as strong winds and extreme heat hampered crews and investigators opened probes into the fatal blazes.
- On Thursday, more than 200 firefighters battled two wildfires on Crete for a second day, as three Greek firefighters died Wednesday while confronting flames fanned by strong winds and extreme heat.
- Record-Breaking heatwaves across Europe have intensified conditions enabling rapid fire spread, as the continent warms at more than twice the global average. Extreme heat and drought turned vegetation into combustible fuel.
- Across France and Spain, roughly 330,000 people were driven from homes and vacation sites at the crisis peak. Meanwhile, some evacuation orders in Spain were recently lifted as firefighters continued battling uncontained blazes.
- Giorgos Tsapakos, deputy regional governor for civil protection on Crete, warned that strong winds prevented aircraft from operating Thursday. Spanish Interior Minister Fernando Grande-Marlaska warned of "three tough days" ahead with high temperatures.
- The head of the European Union's emergency response centre cautioned Wednesday that Greece and Italy face heightened wildfire risk in the coming weeks. Crews remain mobilized across southern Europe to confront the punishing mix of heat, drought and strong winds.
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137 Articles
The situation in the fire-stricken countries in southern Europe is worsening. A severe fire has raged on the Greek island of Crete this week, where the situation is slowly improving. It is being followed by a new fire on the mainland, near Athens. And in Gironde in France, where the giant fire is now stable, there is cautious optimism.
Gresk civilforsvar har beordret evacuation av deler av forstaden Haidari vest for Hellas' hovedstad Aten som følge av skogbrann.
Forces in Greece continue to extinguish several large forest fires around Athens and Crete. In France, firefighters are fighting last embers.
The situation surrounding the large wildfire on the Greek island of Crete has improved slightly, the fire department says. The fire is not yet under control, and authorities warn that the coming days could still be difficult.
Other Greek islands report easy relaxation, but on Crete the situation remains tense: heavy winds constantly spark new fires. At times a whole resort had to be evacuated. From M. Pompl.
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