In southern Europe, three firefighters died in a wildfire in Greece

Three Greek firefighters have died fighting wildfires in Crete and the Peloponnese.

In Crete, strong winds fanned the flames, forcing the evacuation of several villages, and in the western part of the island, two firefighters died after being trapped in a blaze near Rethymno.

Another firefighter died after being found unconscious near the southern Peloponnese port city of Gitio.

Meanwhile, in Spain and France, the fourth heatwave of the summer has begun, with firefighters struggling to contain major blazes that have yet to be contained.

A number of fires broke out on Crete and spread rapidly, with the worst reaching up to 15 km (9.3 mi), witnesses said.

Residents and tourists from the mountain village where the two firefighters died have been evacuated from Kriya Vrisi.

“The wind is unbelievable – sometimes you can’t stand it. The fire was so big, it was so scary,” resident Chrissa Giocaki told Reuters.

Wildfires elsewhere in Greece, on the islands of Paros and Lesbos in the Aegean Sea, as well as the southern city of Triphylia on the Greek mainland.

The main highway connecting Fethiye and Antalya in southern Turkey had to be closed and part of the hospital had to be evacuated due to a fire in Mugla province.