A fast-moving wildfire is threatening the western Greek city of Patras, as soaring temperatures and strong winds fuel blazes across southern Europe. The fire has prompted mass evacuations, including a children’s hospital, and blanketed the city in thick smoke, leading to a rise in respiratory-related hospitalizations.
In Greece’s Achaia region, over 10,000 hectares have burned in just two days. Entire villages have been evacuated, homes destroyed, and more than 500 cars incinerated at a customs yard. Streets in Patras, home to about 200,000 residents, were deserted on Wednesday as flames advanced from surrounding mountains under 38°C heat. Authorities evacuated a nearby town of 7,700 people on Tuesday and issued new alerts for two more villages on Wednesday.
On the islands of Zante and Chios, coastguards rescued dozens as fires approached the coast. Greece has requested EU water bombers to assist 4,800 firefighters battling over 20 active wildfires nationwide. The crisis comes amid a heatwave sweeping the region from Portugal to the Balkans.
In Spain, a civilian and a volunteer firefighter died on Wednesday as the country entered its tenth consecutive day of extreme heat, reaching 45°C on Tuesday. Nearly all of Spain faces extreme or very high fire risk, with the heatwave — one of the longest on record — expected to last until Monday.
Wildfires in Spain have also sparked political controversy after Transport Minister Óscar Puente made a sarcastic remark about temperatures “getting a little hot” in Castile and León, where fires have threatened a UNESCO-listed Roman site and displaced more than 6,000 people. Opposition leaders have called for his resignation, though Puente defended his criticism of absent regional leaders during the crisis.
So far in 2025, Spain has recorded 199 wildfires, burning 99,000 hectares — double last year’s figure by mid-August. Authorities suspect arson in several cases. In Portugal, 1,800 firefighters are battling five major blazes, including one reignited by lightning in Trancoso. In Albania, 24 active wildfires have forced rural evacuations, with the defence minister warning of a “critical week.”
Italy has largely contained a five-day fire near Mount Vesuvius but remains under extreme heat alerts in 16 cities, with Florence hitting 39°C. In Vatican City, Pope Leo moved his weekly audience indoors due to the heat. The UK has entered its fourth heatwave of the summer, with temperatures nearing 34°C and health services under strain.
Meteorologists and climate experts warn that such extreme weather events are becoming more frequent and severe due to human-induced climate change, raising urgent concerns about preparedness and global response.
