Two people have died after a wildfire destroyed a house in a forested settlement in northern Greece. The blaze broke out Tuesday afternoon in bushland near the village of Liti, approximately 25 kilometers from Thessaloniki.
The fire, which stretched five kilometers in length, spread rapidly due to strong winds and dry conditions following an unprecedented heatwave across Europe. Firefighters discovered one body nearby and a second inside the gutted home, while a woman suffering from burns was rescued from the area.
Authorities ordered residents of the settlement to evacuate to a nearby playing field. In central Greece, over 130 firefighters and aircraft are battling a separate wildfire, where authorities have also urged residents to evacuate.
Scientists consider Greece and other Mediterranean countries to be wildfire hotspots due to a fast-warming climate, which makes blazes more destructive during hot and dry summers.