Tourists among thousands of people evacuated on Crete as wildfires kills two firefighters

Tourists among thousands of people evacuated on Crete as wildfires kills two firefighters Two firefighters have died on Crete after becoming trapped while tackling a wildfire, several of which are raging through the mountains on Greece's largest island Thousands of people - including tourists - were evacuated on the island of Crete today as wildfires claimed the lives of three firefighters in Greece. Two died on the island after becoming trapped while tackling a fire near Krya Vrysi in the Rethymno region. A third firefighter died on the Greek mainland, near the port town of Gytheio in the Peloponnese. As gusts reached 125km/h (77mph) on the island, around 8,000 people were evacuated from their homes overnight but were later allowed to return. Amid France's fires, George and Amal Clooney were forced to evacuate their home. The actor admitted he had "no idea" whether the home he shares with human rights lawyer Amal in Brignoles, a village in the south, will make it through "this terrible moment". In a letter addressed to Didier Bremond, mayor of Brignoles, Clooney promised the pair are "committed" to supporting the community in the aftermath of the natural disaster. The letter, which was shared by Clooney's publicist Guido Gotz, read: "Dear Didier, At this point we have no idea whether our beautiful home makes it through this terrible moment. The letter read: "As we evacuate Brignoles we want to emphasise two things, first we hope you and the people of our city are safe. "Second that Amal and I are committed to making sure that whatever happens to our village, we are part of this community and we'll be part of making it whole. We love Brignoles and our friends who live there." The pair moved to France permanently in 2021 after purchasing an estate which Clooney described as their "farm in France". The couple and their twins, Ella and Alexander, were awarded their French citizenship in December. Greece, France, Spain and Turkey are among many European countries facing devastating fires and drought. Several fires have continued to burn in Spain and Portugal, although Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez declared an end to the national emergency for wildfires in the Ávila and Madrid regions. In south-west France, some residents have been able to return to their homes after a major wildfire in the Gironde region. The fire raging on Crete broke out in the Rethymno region and has spread rapidly, destroying homes and agricultural land. It remains one of the biggest fires currently active on the island and is still burning out of control. There was no clear picture of the destruction so far, Rethymno's deputy regional governor Maria Lioni said, adding that containing the fire was the main priority. Lioni described the "dark day" for the region as gusts overnight reached up to 11 on the Beaufort scale - a wind force categorised as "violent" - fanning the flames and hampering containment efforts. Some of those evacuated in Rethymno were moved into a temporary shelter. "It was frightening," British tourist Peter Wood said. "We could see the flames in the hills above the village, and the police and firefighters were just telling everyone to leave straight away." The blaze came during one of Crete's busiest months for tourism. Hundreds of firefighters have been deployed to the region to battle the blaze. Hellenic Fire Service chief Theodoros Vagias expressed his condolences for the two firefighters who sacrificed their lives, naming them as 58-year-old Emmanouil Stratidakis and Pantelis Diamantakis, 25. Both will be buried today, the statement added. In the Madrid region, 24,000 people have been told they can return and restrictions on another 20,000 have been lifted. Fourteen people died in the Almería region of Spain earlier this month, including UK and Belgian nationals as well as US, French and Spanish citizens. Fires are also burning in neighbouring Portugal, in the north-eastern district of Vila Real.