Overview

• Greek fire services reported containment gains on the most dangerous perimeter outside Patras after winds eased, though dozens of active fronts persist across southern Europe.
• At least three fatalities have been confirmed in Spain, Turkey and Albania, including an elderly man in Tirana and a forestry worker in southern Turkey.
• Thousands of residents have been evacuated from hospitals, retirement homes and villages as flames encroach on towns and popular tourist areas.
• The European Union Civil Protection Mechanism has mobilized water-bombing planes and cross-border crews to bolster firefighting capacity strained by parallel outbreaks.
• Authorities are probing varied ignition causes—from suspected arson and faulty power lines to lightning strikes—while high winds and buried WWII ordnance in Albania complicate containment efforts.