Europe wildfire crisis shifts to Greece as France, Spain battle lingering blazes

Hind Al Soulia - Riyadh - LACANAU, France — Europe's wildfire crisis shifted east on Sunday as gale-force winds fueled fresh evacuations near Athens, while France and Spain worked to prevent major blazes from reigniting after days of destructive fires.

The most immediate threat was in Greece, where wildfires spread across western Attica, threatening communities and an industrial area near Megara as strong winds hampered aerial firefighting operations.

Authorities ordered new evacuations in Kandili, Agia Skepi and Toutouli, while firefighters remained concerned about the coastal community of Porto Germeno. Nearly 500 firefighters and 23 aircraft were deployed, although powerful winds prevented some aircraft from collecting seawater for firefighting operations.

Elsewhere in Greece, wildfires also threatened homes on the island of Kefalonia and near Nea Tenedos in Halkidiki. Earlier this week, three firefighters were killed battling separate blazes.

In France, the country's largest wildfire remained contained within its perimeter after burning about 420 square kilometers (162 square miles) of forest in the Gironde region and forcing the evacuation of 224,000 people, one of the largest civilian evacuations in modern French history.

Authorities warned the fire was not yet extinguished, with hotspots continuing to burn inside the massive fire scar as dry weather, high temperatures and strong winds threatened to reignite the blaze.

Nearly 3,000 firefighters remained deployed against the Gironde wildfire and a separate fire in Provence, where around 2,500 people were evacuated. The Provence blaze has stopped advancing but remains uncontained.

In Spain, authorities said the country's major wildfires were no longer advancing after a week that saw at least 13 people killed and thousands displaced. Fire crews continued monitoring fire perimeters to prevent flare-ups, while most evacuees in affected areas had been allowed to return home.

Together, the fires in France and Spain displaced roughly one-third of a million people, overwhelming emergency services during the peak of the European summer.

Scientists have linked increasingly severe wildfire seasons across Europe to rising temperatures driven by climate change. Europe has warmed more than twice as fast as the global average since the 1980s, according to the European Union's Copernicus Climate Change Service.