PATRAS, Greece / MADRID – Raging wildfires, fueled by extreme heat and strong winds, tore through southern Europe on Wednesday, destroying homes and forcing thousands of residents and tourists to evacuate. Authorities suspect arson or thunderstorms as the cause of some blazes.
According to the EU Science Hub’s Joint Research Centre, wildfires have already scorched nearly 440,000 hectares (1,700 square miles) in the Eurozone this year—double the average recorded since 2006.
In Greece, a massive fire near Patras, west of Athens, engulfed olive groves, forests, and even a cement factory, sending thick plumes of dark smoke into the sky and disrupting rail services.
“What does it look like? It looks like doomsday. May God help us and the people here,” said Giorgos Karvanis, a volunteer from Athens assisting in firefighting efforts.
Authorities ordered evacuations in a town of 7,700 near Patras on Tuesday and issued new warnings for two nearby villages on Wednesday. Popular tourist destinations, including the islands of Chios and Cephalonia, also saw emergency evacuations as flames spread.
In Spain, a 35-year-old volunteer firefighter died from severe burns while battling a blaze near Nogarejas in the Castile and León region. Several others were hospitalized as nearly the entire country faced extreme fire risks, according to Spain’s weather agency, AEMET.
This marks the sixth wildfire-related death in Spain this year, including two firefighters in Tarragona and Ávila.
Alexander Held, a wildfire expert at the European Forest Institute, warned that unprepared landscapes endanger firefighters’ lives. He urged authorities to establish buffer zones and clear flammable vegetation to mitigate risks.
“Imagine an industrial building without fire detectors, sprinklers, or escape routes—firefighters wouldn’t enter. Yet, we expect them to fight fires in uncontrolled landscapes,” Held said.
As climate conditions worsen, southern Europe remains on high alert, with emergency teams working tirelessly to contain the destruction.