Europe wildfires kill three, force mass evacuations

Wildfires continued to rage across southern Europe on Wednesday, with at least three more deaths reported in Spain, Turkey, and Albania. Firefighters spent the night trying to protect homes and farms around Patras, Greece’s third-largest city.

Flames destroyed olive groves outside Patras, while residents helped fight the fires using buckets of water and tree branches. Water-dropping planes and helicopters assisted, but resources were stretched as multiple outbreaks continued following weeks of heat waves across Mediterranean Europe.

In Greece, aircraft moved between fires on the western mainland, around Patras, and on the island of Zakynthos. Athens also sent support to Albania, joining an international effort to control dozens of wildfires. Officials reported that an 80-year-old man died in a fire south of Tirana.

In central Albania, four villages near a former army ammunition depot were evacuated. In the Korca district, near the Greek border, old artillery shells from World War II caused explosions.

In Spain, Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez mourned the death of a firefighting volunteer in Castile and León, north of Madrid, where thousands of residents have been evacuated. The government raised the national emergency response level to provide extra support for regional authorities managing evacuations and road closures.

In Turkey, a forestry worker died while responding to a wildfire in the south. The Forestry Ministry said the worker was killed in a fire truck accident, leaving four others injured. Since late June, Turkey has faced severe wildfires, with 18 people killed so far, including 10 rescue volunteers and forestry workers in July.