Rethymno, Greece. Two firefighters died on Wednesday after becoming trapped while fighting a wildfire near Rethymno in Crete, as fires and extreme heat continued to affect parts of southern Europe.
Greek authorities ordered the evacuation of several villages as gale-force winds drove the blaze across the island.
Wildfire response in Crete
Witnesses said several fires broke out before merging into a fire front stretching up to 15 kilometres.
The fire brigade confirmed that the two firefighters died while responding to the blaze near Rethymno.
Other fires and heatwave conditions
Wildfires also broke out on the islands of Paros and Lesbos, as well as in the mainland town of Trifylia.
Spain and France entered another heatwave on Wednesday, with firefighters remaining on alert for recently contained wildfires to reignite amid high temperatures.
