Devastating wildfires continue to rage across southern Europe, with a third death reported in Spain as emergency crews battle to protect Greece's third-largest city. A volunteer firefighter died from severe burns while creating fire breaks, marking the latest casualty in an unprecedented wildfire crisis.
The victim was identified as 37-year-old Jaime Aparicio, who suffered burns to 85 per cent of his body after being trapped during firefighting operations. "Today we mourn the death of another member of the team fighting fires in Leon," said Nicanor Sen, the national government's representative in Castile and Leon.
Spain evacuates thousands
More than 9,500 residents have been evacuated across Spain as fires consume over 60,000 hectares of land. Thousands of firefighters and volunteers are battling a dozen out-of-control blazes across multiple provinces including Castile, Castile-La Mancha, Andalusia, Galicia and Leon.
Spain became the fifth country in a week to activate the EU's Civil Protection Mechanism for wildfire assistance. The bloc is sending two water-bombing planes to support emergency services, where temperatures are expected to exceed 44°C this weekend.
Greece contains Patras blaze
Emergency crews in Greece have contained a major wildfire to the eastern outskirts of Patras after three days of intense firefighting. The blaze had threatened homes and agricultural facilities around the city of 200,000 people, forcing evacuations from a nearby town of 7,000 and two villages.
The wildfires have been burning for three consecutive days in the country. Nearly 5,000 firefighters, supported by 33 aircraft, were deployed to tackle fires near Patras and on the tourist islands of Chios and Zakynthos, with 95 people injured including firefighters.
Arson arrests made
Three people have been arrested in connection with the Patras fire, which authorities suspect may have been deliberately set. Greek authorities had ordered residents of the town near Patras to evacuate earlier this week, issuing similar orders to two nearby villages.
Regional devastation spreads
Wildfires have affected nearly 440,000 hectares across the EU so far in 2025 - twice the average since 2006, according to the EU Science Hub's Joint Research Centre. Extreme heat above 40°C and strong winds have fuelled the spread across much of the region this week.
Portugal has lost over 14,000 hectares in the Trancoso region alone. Bulgaria, Montenegro and Albania have also activated the EU emergency mechanism, with an 80-year-old man dying in a blaze south of Tirana on Wednesday.
The crisis has killed 18 people in Turkey since late June, including 10 rescue volunteers and forestry workers. France faces continued high fire risk with temperatures reaching 42°C for the third consecutive day.
Sources used: "PA Media" Note: This article has been edited with the help of Artificial Intelligence.
