More than 1,500 people evacuated in Crete as wildfires rage across Europe – live | Europe
Morning opening: Heatwave continues with wildfire warnings in place
Jakub Krupa
More than 1,500 people were evacuated from hotels and homes overnight on Crete as firefighters are fighting a fast-spreading wildfire on the southern coast of the Greek island.
Over 230 firefighters are involved fighting multiple outbreaks posing a “very difficult” overall picture for the emergency services, the Greek fire brigade said in an update on Thursday morning.
A separate fire broke out in Halkidiki region of Greece, with 160 firefighters and 49 vehicles involved in emergency response, the fire service said.
The service warned that the country was entering “the most difficult month of the fire season,” with strong winds contributing to their spread.
Separate wildfires were reported in Germany, where at least two were seriously injured and over 100 reportedly evacuated in a forest fire in Saxony, and in Spain.
The fires come as Europe continues to face extreme weather conditions, with Spain, Italy, Austria, Hungary, Slovakia, Poland and Croatia all expected to report temperatures in mid-30s today.
I will bring you all the latest here.
It’s Thursday, 2 July 2025, it’s Jakub Krupa here, and this is Europe Live.
Good morning.
Key events
More details emerge about Lleida wildfire that killed two in Spain
Meanwhile in Spain, the Spanish media are revealing more disturbing details about the so-called “sixth-generation” wildfire that claimed two lives in Torrefeta i Florejacs (Lleida).
El País reported that the two victims, aged 32 and 45, were trapped by the rapidly and unpredictably spreading fire, which consumed over 5,500 hectares of mostly agricultural land. Both died of smoke inhalation, it was reported.
Local authorities announced two days of mourning in response to the event, the paper said.
At least five deaths linked to extreme heat in Italy
Angela Giuffrida
in Rome
The fierce heat that has engulfed Italy for more than a week is linked to at least five deaths, with two people, aged 75 and 60, dying on beaches in Sardinia.
Temperatures on the island, where wild fires have been raging, have eclipsed 40C in recent day.
In Genoa, an 85-year-old man died of heart failure in a hospital emergency unit after being taken there for treatment for dehydration.
The three fatalities on Wednesday follow the deaths of a 47-year-old construction worker near Bologna on Monday and a 53-year-old woman, who died after fainting while walking along a street in Palermo.
Italy’s health ministry has placed 18 major cities on maximum ‘red’ alert for heat on Thursday, including Rome, Milan, Turin, Bologna, Genoa and Palermo, meaning the heat is so intense that it poses a risk for young and healthy people too.
A measure halting outdoor work, for example on construction sites and farms, during the hottest part of the day has taken effect nationally, although it is not an obligation and so many are continuing to work their normal hours.
Italian seas see temperatures above 20 Celsius at 40 metres, Greenpeace warns
Lorenzo Tondo
in Italy
Due to the climate emergency, Italian seas have reached temperatures above 20C even at depths of 40 metres, according to a report released on Wednesday by Greenpeace.
The report, titled Mare Caldo (“Warm Sea”), draws on data collected in 2024 by the University of Genoa.
In the Cinque Terre, sea temperatures rose by as much as 3.65C above the seasonal average. Similar anomalies were recorded across a number of marine areas: 3.25C in Miramare, just over 3C in the Tremiti Islands, 3.28C in Portofino, 3.21C near Elba, 2.39C in Tavolara, 2.38C in Torre Guaceto, 2.31C off Ventotene, 2.23C in Plemmirio, 1.90C near Asinara, and 1.49C in Capo Carbonara.
In Syracuse, water temperatures remained around 26C even below 20 metres of depth, with peaks of 23C recorded beyond 40 metres.
Across the Mediterranean, 2024 marked the hottest year on record for average sea temperature in the basin, with a mean value of 21.16C.
The warming trend was observed throughout the year, with unusually high temperatures recorded not only in summer but also during winter months.
Jakub Krupa
Let’s now do a quick round on the latest about the heatwave in Europe and its implications for people’s lives and the environment.
Zelenskyy lands in Denmark for talks on prospects for EU accession
Meanwhile, Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskyy is in Denmark today to attend a ceremony marking the Danish presidency of the European Union which began on 1 July.
Zelenskyy will be hosted by the Danish prime minister, Mette Frederiksen, and will meet with the European Commission president, Ursula von der Leyen, and the European Council president António Costa for talks on Ukraine’s membership in the EU.
Frederiksen said in a press statement that “Ukraine belongs in the EU,” as she pledged to “do everything we can to help Ukraine on its path towards EU membership.”
Separately, Zelenskyy will also soon meet with the Danish monarch, King Frederik X.
Deputy head of Russian Navy killed by Ukraine in Kursk, official says
Maj Gen Mikhail Gudkov, the deputy head of the Russian Navy who also led a brigade fighting against Ukraine, has been killed in Russia’s Kursk region, Oleg Kozhemyako, governor of a far eastern Russian region, said on Telegram.
Unofficial Russian and Ukrainian military Telegram channels had earlier reported that Gudkov had been killed along with 10 other servicemen in a Ukrainian attack on a command post in Korenevo in the Kursk region, which borders Ukraine, Reuters added.
EU should seek to strike ‘quick, simple’ deal with US on tariffs, Germany’s Merz says
Back to European politics, German chancellor Friedrich Merz reiterated his call for the European Union to strike a “quick and simple” deal on tariffs with the United States, with just days to go before a negotiating deadline, AFP reported.
“It is better to achieve a quick and simple solution than a lengthy and complicated one that remains in the negotiation stage for months,” he told the annual convention of the National Association of Cooperative Banks in Berlin.
His comments come as the bloc’s trade chief Maroš Šefčovič is in Washington for talks with the US ahead of next week’s deadline.
Portuguese prime minister Luís Montenegro reacted to the news of Jota’s death, expressing his condolences to his family.
The news of the death of Diogo Jota, an athlete who greatly honored Portugal’s name, and his brother is unexpected and tragic. I extend my deepest condolences to their family. It is a sad day for football and for national and international sports.
You can follow our football live blog for more updates here:
Portugal and Liverpool forward Diogo Jota dies in car crash
We are now getting shocking news from Spain that Portugal and Liverpool forward Diogo Jota has died in a car crash overnight.
The accident, first reported by Portuguese media and the Spanish sports newspaper Marca, took place near Zamora in northwest Spain, with local emergency services confirming two fatalities aged 28 and 26, without giving their names.
The Portuguese football association have confirmed the media reports in a statement, saying they “lacks the words” to describe the loss of the player.
BBC earlier said it also confirmed Jota’s death with the Spanish civil guard, Guardia Civil.
Local media reported that the car went off road and was fully engulfed in flames by the time first responders arrived on scene.
Jota joined Liverpool from Wolves in 2020 and scored 65 goals in 182 appearances for the club. He won the Premier League title, the FA Cup and League club with Liverpool, the Championship title with Wolves in 2018 and was a two-time winner of the Uefa Nations League with Portugal.
He was an immensely popular figure in the Liverpool dressing room with a warm and friendly personality.
Jota and his partner were married in Porto on 22 June, and announced the news in a social media post a few days ago.
French air traffic controllers go on strike over pay causing travel disruptions
Meanwhile, French air traffic controllers began a two-day strike demanding better working conditions, causing disruption to air travel as the summer season gets under way, Reuters reported.
Ryanair said it had to cancel 170 flights disrupting 30,000 passengers, with a secondary effect on flights flying over France to other destinations. “EU skies cannot be repeatedly closed just because French Air Traffic Controllers are going on recreational strikes,” the airline said.
Ryanair’s CEO Michael O’Leary went even further, saying that “once again European families are held to ransom by French air traffic controllers going on strike,” adding “it makes no sense and is abundantly unfair on EU passengers and families going on holidays.”
Air France, France’s largest airline said it had adapted its flight schedule, without giving details, but that it was maintaining long-haul flights.
Wind-fuelled wildfires rage in Turkey
Separately, two wildfires that began overnight near the western Turkish resort of Izmir were raging out of control on Thursday, fuelled by high winds, officials said, in comments reported by AFP.
“Strong winds are making firefighting efforts difficult in Izmir,” Turkey’s forestry directorate said on X as aerial firefighting planes and helicopters resumed their sorties at sunrise.
Locals in at least five districts in the two areas were evacuated as a precaution but there were no immediate reports of injuries.
Since Friday, hundreds of fires have been reported across drought-hit Turkey, fuelled by high winds, AFP noted.
On Monday, more than 50,000 people were evacuated, mostly in the Izmir area but also from the southern province of Hatay, the AFAD disaster management agency said.
Morning opening: Heatwave continues with wildfire warnings in place
Jakub Krupa
More than 1,500 people were evacuated from hotels and homes overnight on Crete as firefighters are fighting a fast-spreading wildfire on the southern coast of the Greek island.
Over 230 firefighters are involved fighting multiple outbreaks posing a “very difficult” overall picture for the emergency services, the Greek fire brigade said in an update on Thursday morning.
A separate fire broke out in Halkidiki region of Greece, with 160 firefighters and 49 vehicles involved in emergency response, the fire service said.
The service warned that the country was entering “the most difficult month of the fire season,” with strong winds contributing to their spread.
Separate wildfires were reported in Germany, where at least two were seriously injured and over 100 reportedly evacuated in a forest fire in Saxony, and in Spain.
The fires come as Europe continues to face extreme weather conditions, with Spain, Italy, Austria, Hungary, Slovakia, Poland and Croatia all expected to report temperatures in mid-30s today.
I will bring you all the latest here.
It’s Thursday, 2 July 2025, it’s Jakub Krupa here, and this is Europe Live.
Good morning.
