Greek firefighters battle deadly wildfires on Crete for a second day

ATHENS, July 30 - 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.

"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.

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. REUTERS