Govind Tekale
Three people have died and thousands have fled their homes as wildfires tear through southern Europe, driven by an intense heatwave that has gripped the region for weeks.
In Spain, two people lost their lives battling the flames. One victim was a volunteer firefighter in Castile and León who suffered burns to 85% of his body while creating firebreaks. Spanish media identified him as 37-year-old Jaime Aparicio. Another victim was an employee at an equestrian center near Madrid who died trying to save horses from a fast-moving blaze in the wealthy suburb of Tres Cantos.
In Albania, an 80-year-old man became the third casualty as fires damaged dozens of homes and scorched agricultural land.
“The wildfire situation remains serious, and taking extra precautions is essential,” Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez warned on social media, thanking those “working tirelessly to fight the flames.”
The fires have forced mass evacuations across the region. In Spain alone, authorities evacuated over 9,000 residents as 11 large fires threatened populated areas. About 2,000 people were evacuated from hotels and homes near popular beaches in Tarifa, southern Spain.
Greece’s third-largest city, Patras, has been under threat as firefighters work around the clock to protect its perimeter. Local residents joined the effort, beating back flames with cut branches and buckets of water while water-dropping planes and helicopters operated overhead.
“Today is another very difficult day with the level of fire risk remaining very high across many parts of the country,” said Fire Service spokesman Vassilis Vathrakoyiannis. At least 15 Greek firefighters needed medical attention for burns, smoke inhalation, or exhaustion.
The situation has strained firefighting resources across multiple countries. On the Greek island of Chios, exhausted firefighters were seen sleeping on roadsides after night-long shifts. Greece has made available a record number of some 18,000 firefighters this year and requested water bombers from the European Union Civil Protection Mechanism.
In Turkey, a forestry worker died in an accident involving a fire truck while responding to a wildfire. The country’s northwestern province of Canakkale has been battling large blazes for days, with both Canakkale Airport and the Dardanelles Strait temporarily closed due to the fires.
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The scale of destruction this year is alarming. Wildfires have burned around 500,000 hectares (1,931 square miles) across Europe so far in 2025, more than double the 20-year average for this point in the season, according to the European Forest Fire Information System.
Weather conditions are making the situation worse. Temperatures have soared above 40 degrees Celsius (104 Fahrenheit) in parts of southern Europe, with heat alerts issued across Italy, France, Spain, Portugal, and the Balkans.
“In such circumstances just a spark is enough to start a fire which can quickly spin out of control,” said Greece’s Civil Protection and Climate Change Minister Giannis Kefalogiannis.
Authorities have cited multiple causes for the fires, including lightning storms, careless farming, and poorly maintained power lines. In some areas, arson is suspected. Three people suspected of deliberately igniting wildfires near Patras were arrested, while Spain’s Environment Minister Sara Aagesen said several fires showed signs of deliberate ignition.
The European Union has sent reinforcements to help affected countries, including non-member states. Ljuban Tmusic, head of Montenegro’s civil protection agency, highlighted the regional challenge: “Natural disasters know no borders. In Montenegro, the resources we have are clearly not enough.”
As the heatwave continues, fire weather experts warn that extreme to very extreme risk conditions will persist across much of southern Europe into mid-August.
