Two firefighters die trapped in fire engine as wildfires rage out of control on Crete

Published Jul 29, 11:02 PM UTC

Severe wildfires are sweeping across Greece and Turkey, with the situation on the Greek island of Crete described as 'out of control.' Two firefighters died on Wednesday after being trapped by flames in their fire truck near Rethymno. Another firefighter was found dead near Gytheio on the Peloponnese peninsula. Over 150 firefighters and eight water-bombing aircraft are battling the Crete blaze, which has grown to over 15 kilometers in length. Strong, shifting winds of up to 74 km/h are hampering efforts and forcing evacuations on Paros and Lesbos. In Turkey, President Erdogan reported 90 new fire sources, with 3,000 emergency personnel deployed in southern and western provinces. The highway between Antalya and Fethiye was closed due to smoke, and the ancient site of Olympos was closed to visitors. France is also battling renewed fires during a heatwave.

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