A heat wave gripping southern Europe has fed wildfires from France to the Greek island of Crete, forcing tens of thousands of people from their homes and stretching firefighting resources across the region.

In southern France, temperatures climbed past 100 degrees Fahrenheit as flames advanced through the countryside near the Mediterranean coast. Tens of thousands of residents were ordered to leave their homes. Among those who evacuated were the actor George Clooney and his wife, Amal, who left their residence in the region as the fire approached.

The French evacuations began to ease as cooler weather moved into the area. Authorities allowed tens of thousands of evacuees to return home once conditions improved and the immediate threat receded, though firefighting crews remained in place to guard against flare-ups.

In Greece, wildfires on the island of Crete prompted the evacuation of thousands of people, including residents and tourists in a region that draws large numbers of summer visitors. The fires there added to a wider pattern across the Mediterranean, where high temperatures and dry conditions created an environment in which blazes spread quickly.

The fires were not confined to the continent's south. In Suffolk, in eastern England, a wildfire forced families to flee a holiday park. Some described the scene as "apocalyptic" as they left the area. Among those caught in the Suffolk blaze was a family that had earlier fled wildfires in France, finding themselves affected by fire a second time within the same period.

The events unfolded during a stretch of extreme heat across much of Europe. High temperatures, combined with dry vegetation, produced conditions in which fires could ignite and grow rapidly. Emergency services in multiple countries worked to contain the blazes and move people out of the path of the flames.

By the time cooler air reached parts of France, the focus had begun to shift from evacuation to recovery and to monitoring areas still at risk. In Greece and elsewhere, crews continued to battle active fires as the heat wave persisted.

The scale of the response — spanning several countries and affecting residents, tourists and holidaymakers alike — reflected the reach of the heat and the fires it helped drive across the region.

References

1. 1.NEUTRALNEWS — wildfires spreading across southern Europe with temperatures past 100 degrees Fahrenheit
2. 2.AP — George and Amal Clooney evacuated their home in southern France
3. 3.Breitbart — corroborates the Clooneys' evacuation from their French home
4. 4.NBC — tens of thousands of French evacuees allowed to return home as cooler weather moved in
5. 5.BBC — thousands evacuated from wildfires on Crete as European fires continued
6. 6.Independent — Suffolk families fleeing a holiday park described 'apocalyptic' scenes
7. 7.Times of London — a family that had fled French wildfires was caught in the Suffolk blaze