At least 15 people died and thousands of acres (hectares) of forest were consumed in fires racing through Greece's Peloponnese peninsula on Friday as south-east Europe experienced a resurgence of summer blazes.
Six bodies were found near the town of Areopolis, 190 km (120 miles) south-west of Athens, including two French tourists and two fire-fighters, the fire brigade and police said. Authorities were evacuating the town and nearby villages. Nine more people were found dead near Zakharo, on the west coast of the peninsula, at least six of them in cars, a fire brigade official said. The government announced a state of emergency in Lakonia and Messinia provinces and asked for help from the European Union.
Greece, where the temperature has hit 41 Celsius (106 F) this week, has this year seen some of its worst fires in a decade, some reaching the outskirts of Athens and destroying much of the nearby Mount Parnitha nature reserve.
Italy's Civil Protection Authority said Thursday had been the worst day for forest fires in Italian history. By 9 am on Friday, it had already received 36 requests for help.
Eight people have died from fires in Italy over the past month, including three at a guest house in Sicily on Wednesday, and blazes are spreading across many southern areas. In south-eastern Bosnia, where the temperature has hit 42 Celsius (108 F) this week, fire-fighters and villagers were battling several forest fires fanned by strong winds.
Even in Portugal, which like neighbouring Spain has been spared the worst of the fires because of an unusually cool, damp summer in western Europe, 300 fire-fighters had to be mobilised on Thursday to put out a blaze near the historic town of Sintra.