3 killed as firefighters battle to put out wildfires across Europe

EU sends reinforcements to help Greece and Spain tackle blazes which have damaged homes and buildings and razed swathes of farm and forest land, forcing the evacuation of thousands of people

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Hundreds of firefighters battled to put out wildfires across southern Europe on Thursday, some of which are believed to have been set deliberately by arsonists and stoked by an extended heat wave gripping the region.

The European Union sent reinforcements to help Greece and Spain tackle blazes which have killed three firefighters, damaged homes and buildings and razed swathes of farm and forest land, forcing the evacuation of thousands of people.

Hot and dry summers have been common in the Mediterranean region. But wildfires fanned by intense heat and winds, the result of a fast-changing climate, scientists say, have become more destructive and tougher to control.

From Portugal to Spain, Albania and Greece, firefighters struggled to contain towering walls of flames threatening life and property.

The Iberian Peninsula alone made up about half of the EU's burned area of some 500,000 hectares so far this year, according to estimates by the European Forest Fire Information System (EFFIS).