July is one of the busiest tourist months in Crete, as millions of people visit the island each year.

According to the country’s fire service, around 224 firefighters are deployed in the region, with 53 engines, 11 specialized units and two aircraft assigned.

The head of the Greek fire service, Theodoros Vagias, published a note of condolence to the two firefighters who died on Wednesday, naming them as Emmanouil Stratidakis, 58, and Pantelis Diamantakis, 25.

Both will be buried on Thursday, the statement added.

Meanwhile, some 600 people have been evacuated in Spain near the border with Portugal due to a fire in the Spanish city of Zamora.

Five people have been injured in a fire in the town of Valpaços, in eastern Portugal, according to local media.

However, fires near the Spanish capital, Madrid, have stopped spreading and thousands of residents have been able to return to their homes.

Further west, a fire in Ávila province, which has burned more than 43,000 hectares (108,000 acres) over the past week, is now considered the largest forest fire in recorded history in Spain.

In Türkiye, hundreds of homes have also been evacuated, but most of the fires in the region have been brought under control, officials said.