A wildfire on the Greek island of Crete has led to the evacuation of more than 1,500 people, local media outlets have reported, as an early summer heatwave continues to grip southern Europe. At least 230 firefighters, some dispatched from Athens, were attempting on Thursday to contain the blaze, which broke out on Wednesday evening near Ierapetra, a town on the island’s southeastern coast.

Elsewhere, a wildfire killed at least two people in the northeast Spanish region of Catalonia, and heat-related deaths have also been recorded in France and Italy this week. Spread by gale-force winds, the blaze on Crete reached houses and hotels, according to local authorities, who said dozens of residents and tourists had been evacuated to an indoor stadium in Ierapetra.

“Three settlements were evacuated and more than 1,000 left their homes. Some were taken to health centres with respiratory problems,” George Tsapakos, Crete’s deputy civil protection governor, told public broadcaster ERT. Meanwhile, Vice-Prefect Yannis Androulakis confirmed that the blaze, which currently has “three active fronts”, had spread quickly because of strong winds.

Drones and 10 helicopters were also being used to fight the fire, according to a spokesperson for the Greek fire service. In its daily bulletin on Thursday, the fire service warned that the risk of wildfires in Crete and southern Greece remained very high. Last year, Greece experienced its warmest summer ever, with 45,000 hectares (111,200 acres) torched by wildfires, according to WWF Greece and the Athens National Observatory.

Even more land was damaged in 2023, when almost 175,000 hectares (432,400 acres) were affected by wildfires as temperatures hit 46 degrees Celsius (115 degrees Fahrenheit).