Two firefighters killed in Rethymno wildfire

On July 29, 2026, a catastrophic wildfire broke out in the Nea Krya Vrysi region of Rethymno, Crete, leading to the deaths of two firefighters. The victims, whose ages were reported as 27 and 23 by some sources and 60 and 28 by others, became trapped in their vehicle in the Sakhtouria area after losing their orientation due to thick smoke. At least 156 firefighters, supported by 33 vehicles and aerial units, were initially deployed to contain the blaze, which spanned a front of 15 kilometers under extreme weather conditions, including wind gusts reaching 11 on the Beaufort scale.

The wildfire forced mass evacuations across several settlements, including Nea Krya Vrysi, Sakhtouria, Melambes, Agios Pavlos, and Triopetra, with residents receiving emergency notifications via the 112 service to relocate to safer areas like Agia Galini. Due to the dangerous wind speeds, aerial firefighting operations were temporarily suspended for safety. While initial reports cited the two Rethymno casualties, subsequent updates also mentioned an additional firefighter fatality in Gytheio due to separate circumstances. The situation in Crete remains fluid as crews continue to struggle against the ongoing inferno, while investigations into the exact sequence of events continue.