Fires are raging on several Greek islands. On Crete, thousands of people have been forced to evacuate, local authorities say.
"We have evacuated about 8,000 people," Maria Lioni, deputy governor of Rethymnon, told state television channel ERT.
The wildfire that started on Wednesday afternoon is still out of control, ERT reports. More than 200 firefighters are involved in the firefighting effort, but aircraft cannot be deployed because of strong winds.
TT has contacted the travel agencies Ving and Apollo, which have said that none of their Swedish travellers had to be evacuated, as the fire is mainly raging in areas that are not particularly popular with tourists.
Three firefighters have died while fighting fires in Greece, two after their car was surrounded by flames in Rethymnon on Crete, and one firefighter died on the Peloponnese peninsula.
Forest fires are also raging in Turkey near the popular tourist destinations of Antalya and around the Dardanelles, Turkish authorities report. According to Agriculture Minister Ibrahim Yumakli, at least 115 active fires are raging, of which 110 are under control.
Many return in Gironde
In southwestern France, where the massive fire in Gironde is now in its seventh day, local authorities announced on Thursday morning that many of those who were forced to evacuate will be allowed to return home.
According to the prefect of the region, the evacuation is being lifted for nine municipalities, which means that just over 84,000 people out of the total of 220,000 who were forced to leave their homes will be allowed to return.
During the day, the weather is also expected to become more favourable, with slightly lower temperatures and rain showers in the region.
A new fire broke out in Provence in southern France on Wednesday, not far from the forest fire already raging in the region. More than 600 people were forced to evacuate, but residents were allowed to return on Thursday after authorities said the fire was under control.
New evacuations in Spain
In Spain, nine fires are raging in several parts of the country, according to RTVE. While the major fires around Madrid and Ávila have stabilised and most people have been allowed to return home, fires in northwestern Spain have prompted authorities to issue new evacuation orders.
In the Zamora region, a forest fire has broken out near the border with Portugal, forcing several hundred people in surrounding villages to leave their homes.
In Castellón in Valencia on the Spanish east coast, the wildfire, which has forced 10,000 people to evacuate, continues to spread, RTVE reports.
