Thousands of residents have been forced to leave their homes on the Greek island of Crete as wildfires driven by strong winds threaten popular tourist spots and local villages.

Two firefighters lost their lives on the island on Wednesday after becoming trapped while fighting a blaze near Krya Vrysi in the Rethymno region. A third firefighter perished on the Greek mainland close to the port town of Gytheio in the Peloponnese.

With gusts hitting 125km/h (77mph) on the island, roughly 8,000 people were moved from their homes overnight but were permitted to return later.

Greece is one of several European nations dealing with severe fires and drought conditions.

Multiple fires have kept burning in Spain and Portugal, though Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez announced an end to the national emergency for wildfires in the Ávila and Madrid regions.

In south-west France some locals have been able to go back to their properties following a major wildfire in the Gironde region.

The fire that started in Crete began in the Rethymno region on Wednesday and has since spread quickly, damaging homes and farmland. It continues as one of the largest active fires on the island and remains out of control.

At the same time, wildfires have started in the north-western Spanish provinces of Zamora and León near the Portuguese border, leading to the evacuation of more than 1,000 people.

Five individuals suffered injuries in a fire in the eastern Portuguese town of Valpaços, based on local reports.

A large fire that burned over 66,000 hectares west of the Spanish capital Madrid and forced tens of thousands to evacuate has ceased spreading, enabling some residents to return.

As he lifted the national emergency in the area, Pedro Sánchez called for extreme caution during Spain's fourth heatwave of the summer.

The fire in Ávila, which has scorched more than 43,000 hectares in the past week, is now seen as the largest wildfire ever recorded in Spanish history.

A light rain fell near Bordeaux in France on Thursday, offering hope that the Gironde wildfire, which has burned an area bigger than the US city of Detroit and destroyed 240 homes, may soon be contained.

The region's fire service expressed reasonable optimism since the fire has not expanded since the weekend.

Around 84,000 of the 220,000 displaced residents were allowed to return home on Thursday, according to French reports.

More than 90,000 hectares of land have burned across France this year, exceeding any previous year on record based on data from the European Forest Fire Information Service.

In Spain more than 200,000 hectares have burned in 2026, about five times above the average for this time of year. The land affected in Portugal is also above normal levels for mid-July.

The European fire season usually runs into August and September, and with additional hot weather expected soon these numbers are likely to increase further.

Most wildfires are ignited by people either on purpose or by accident, yet climate change is intensifying conditions that help fires spread.

Last winter was mild and wet, promoting vegetation growth that has since dried out during repeated heatwaves and created ready fuel for wildfires.

Some experts have also noted that Mediterranean forests and scrublands lack proper management, leaving abundant vegetation as potential fire fuel.

Forecasters predict that fire-prone conditions will extend toward central Europe, with Greece and Turkey among the hardest hit countries.

In Turkey hundreds of homes have been evacuated as well, but most fires that started mainly in the south have been brought under control, according to authorities.