Southern Europe is grappling with a fresh wave of wildfires, with at least three more deaths reported in Spain, Türkiye, and Albania as flames continue to spread after weeks of extreme heat.
Outside the Greek port city of Patras firefighters spent the night defending the city perimeter. Flames ripped through olive groves, threatening homes and agricultural facilities. Overhead, water-dropping planes and helicopters joined the fight, while residents armed with buckets and cut branches tried to halt the fire’s advance.
Aircraft rotated between multiple danger zones the western Greek mainland, Patras, and the island of Zakynthos. Athens also dispatched aid to Albania, joining an international effort to curb dozens of blazes across the region.
In Albania an 80-year-old man was killed south of the capital Tirana. Four villages in central Albania were evacuated, including one near a former army ammunition depot. In the southern Korça district, close to the Greek border, buried World War II-era artillery shells exploded as flames swept through.
Spain Mourns Volunteer Firefighter
Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez expressed condolences after the death of a firefighting volunteer in the Castile and León region, north of Madrid. Thousands have been displaced as evacuations and highway closures intensify. The Spanish government has raised its national emergency response level, preparing to send more resources to regional authorities overwhelmed by simultaneous blazes.
In southern Türkiye, a forestry worker died on Wednesday in a fire truck accident while responding to a blaze, leaving four others injured. The country has been battling severe wildfires since late June, with 18 fatalities so far including 10 rescue volunteers and forestry workers who died last month.