Southern Europe grappled with a new wave of wildfires Wednesday, as flames tore through homes, forests, and farmland, leaving at least three dead across Spain, Türkiye and Albania.
Firefighters battled relentlessly overnight to protect Greece’s third-largest city, Patras, while emergency crews from across the continent scrambled to contain blazes fueled by heatwaves and soaring temperatures.
Outside Patras, towering flames consumed pine forests and olive groves, sending columns of smoke and fire toward apartment blocks.
Vehicles in a nearby impound lot were engulfed, and residents armed with buckets and branches joined firefighting efforts. "Today is another very difficult day with the level of fire risk remaining very high across many parts of the country,” said Greek Fire Service spokesman Vassilis Vathrakoyiannis.
Water-dropping planes and helicopters rotated between the western mainland, Patras, and the island of Zakynthos, while exhausted firefighters on the island of Chios slept on the roadside after night-long shifts.
Albania also faced severe fires. An 80-year-old man died south of Tirana, and four villages were evacuated near a former army ammunition depot. In Korca, near the Greek border, explosions from buried World War II-era artillery shells destroyed dozens of homes.
Spain mourned a firefighting volunteer killed in the Castile and León region north of Madrid, where thousands were evacuated. "The wildfire situation remains serious, and taking extra precautions is essential,” Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez said in a social media post, thanking those on the frontlines. Evacuation centers were overwhelmed, with some displaced residents forced to sleep outdoors.
Türkiye continued to battle wildfires that have raged since late June. A forestry worker died Wednesday in an accident involving a fire truck, and four others were injured. Since July, fires in Türkiye have claimed 18 lives, including 10 rescue volunteers.
France, still reeling from recent massive blazes, faced its third consecutive day of extreme heat, with temperatures forecast to reach 42 degrees Celsius (108 degrees Fahrenheit). Authorities warned local officials to cancel events and cordon off high-risk areas.
Investigations across Europe cited multiple causes, including careless farming practices, poorly maintained power lines, summer lightning, and, in North Macedonia, suspected arson linked to rogue developers. Firefighters struggled to control a blaze in a nature reserve outside Skopje.
The European Union has deployed aid across affected nations, including non-member states like Montenegro, where fires continue near Podgorica. "Natural disasters know no borders,” said Ljuban Tmusic, head of Montenegro’s civil protection agency. "The resources we have... are clearly not enough.”