4 days ago
'We are being cooked alive' - Wildfires rage across Europe as warnings issued
Firefighters battling wildfires in Greece have spoken of their fears for the area due to intense drought and strong winds fanning the fires around popular holiday destinations.
Emergency services are evacuating tourists and locals from areas being ravaged by the massive blazes around Zante, Kefalonia, and Chios.
The Ministry of Climate Crisis and Civil Protection issued more than a dozen evacuation orders for parts of the country, with warnings of more to come because of the high risk on the mainland and the Ionian Islands. Flames and smoke rise from burning trees while firefighters continue their efforts to extinguish the fire that broke out in the forest area near the Komotini, Greece. Pic: Ayhan Mehmet/Anadolu via Getty Images
The authorities in Greece have appealed for EU Firefighting aircraft to help tackle the infernos in an attempt to stop the spread of the flames, with the mayor of Achaia admitting that the fires in that region are 'out of control'.
Mayor Grigoris Alexopoulos said some areas of the coast have been 'irreparably damaged', while tourists who had been trapped by the flames on a beach in Chios have been safely evacuated from the area.
Greece is not the only country to be under threat of wildfires due to the intense heatwave engulfing Europe at the moment, with red alerts issued in Spain, Portugal, France and Italy, as temperatures continue to rise across the continent. Residents look at flames as a wildfire rages near Palaia Fokaia, some 45 Km south of Athens. Pic: Aris Messinis/AFP via Getty Images
Scientists believe that global warming is giving the Mediterranean region much hotter, drier summers, with the number of wildfires growing year on year.
The Mayor of Vila Real in Portugal said 'We are being cooked alive – this cannot continue,' as a large wildfire continues to rage on the edges of the city.
On the outskirts of the Spanish capital Madrid, a man who had been working at a horse stable died in a fire that reached some houses and farms, but was later brought under control. CÁCERES, SPAIN – AUGUST 04: An INFOEX forest firefighter extinguishes a blaze during a fire in Cerro de los Pinos on August 04, 2025 in Cáceres, Spain. Firefighters from Cáceres and INFOEX forest firefighters are battling fires, as high temperatures continue to put the Extremadura region at extreme risk of further wildfires. (Photo by Carlos)
Firefighting resources are said to be stretched to breaking point in many affected areas, as they attempt to battle multiple blazes caused by weeks of intense heatwaves and soaring temperatures.
Aircraft used for fighting wildfires are being flown between blazes on the Greek mainland and the island of Zakynthos, while the city of Athens has sent some of its firefighting crews to neighbouring Albania, joining an international effort to combat dozens of wildfires there.
