Locals join firefighters battling to save their homes as wildfires rage across the continent.

By Jon King, News Reporter

12:39, Wed, Aug 13, 2025 Updated: 12:48, Wed, Aug 13, 2025

A local man looks on as a wildfire burns

Aircraft had to rotate between blazes on the western Greek mainland, the Patras area and the island of Zante.

(Image: Getty)

Wildfires have raged across southern Europe with firefighters battling to protect lives, homes and livelihoods from savage flames. Scores of people have been killed, including in Turkey where severe wildfires have claimed at least 18 lives. Crews worked through the night on Tuesday to protect Greece's third largest city, Patras, where fires tore through olive groves.

Desperate locals joined efforts to beat back the flames, using cut down branches and buckets of water as planes and helicopters dropped water overhead. The size and scale of the blazes have stretched firefighting resources thin in many of the countries, which have seen heat waves lasting weeks and record temperatures. The south of France saw a high of 43C on Tuesday.

Aircraft had to rotate between blazes on the western Greek mainland, the Patras area and the island of Zante, where high winds fanned the flames. Greece sent help to neighbouring Albania, joining an international effort to combat dozens of wildfires.

A wildfire burns in Sichena of Achaia, in the Peloponnese, Greece

Wildfires are burning in Zante, Patras, the western mainland of Greece and in Sichena of Achaia, Peloponnese (pictured).

(Image: Getty)

A helicopter drops water over part of Patras

Outside the Greek port city of Patras, firefighters struggled to protect homes and farms as flames tore through olive groves.

(Image: Getty)

A firefighter tackles the flames next to a road

Fires light up the night sky around the city of Vila Real in Portugal where a wildfire has been burning for over a week.

(Image: Getty)

A man tries to put out flames on land

Flames spread rapidly across a large area due to strong winds after a wildfire broke out in the Fotia region of Greece.

(Image: Getty)

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