Intense Heatwaves Trigger Deadly Wildfires Across Southern Europe; Greece, Spain, Turkey, Albania Hit

Wildfires blanketed southern Europe on August 13, killing at least three people and forcing thousands to evacuate homes in Greece, Spain, Turkey and Albania.

In Greece, firefighters worked tirelessly round-the-clock to protect the port city of Patras, the country’s third-largest city, burning pine forests, olive groves, houses, agricultural sites and several vehicles.

Commenting on the intensity of fires, the fire service said that the risk of more fires remained “very high” in several regions.  

“Today is another very difficult day with the level of fire risk remaining very high across many parts of the country,” Fire Service spokesman Vassilis Vathrakoyiannis told Associated Press. At least 15 firefighters were hospitalized or received medical attention for burns, smoke inhalation or exhaustion, he added.

Record-Breaking Heat Intensifies Fires

Wildfires intensified across southern Europe on Wednesday (August 13, 2025) after a nightlong battle to protect the perimeter of Greece’s third-largest city, with at least three more deaths reported in Spain, Turkiye and Albania.

Outside the Greek port city of Patras, firefighters struggled to protect homes and agricultural facilities as flames tore through olive groves.

As water-dropping planes and helicopters swooped overhead, residents joined the effort, beating back flames with cut branches or dousing them with buckets of water.

Firefighting resources were stretched thin in many affected countries as they battled multiple outbreaks following weeks of heat waves and temperature spikes across Mediterranean Europe, reported Associated Press.

Aircraft rotated between blazes on the western Greek mainland, the Patras area and the island of Zakynthos. Athens also sent assistance to neighbouring Albania, in an international effort to help combat dozens of wildfires. According to TOI, the United Arab Emirates deployed a specialised firefighting team to support the local crews.

An 80-year-old man died in one blaze south of the capital, Tirana on August 13, officials told Associated Press. Residents of four villages were evacuated in central Albania near a former army ammunition depot. In the southern Korca district, near the Greek border, explosions were reported from buried World War II-era artillery shells. Authorities said dozens of homes were gutted in a central region of the country.

Wildfires, fanned by record-breaking heat, have ravaged about 440,000 hectares in Europe this year, more than double the 20-year average for this period, according to the EU’s Joint Research Centre. This indicates how human-induced climate change is intensifying wildfires across the continent.