Spain and Portugal were the worst-affected countries in Europe, which has seen its most destructive wildfire season in nearly 20 years.

This year is turning into one of the worst fire seasons in recent memory in Europe. Firefighters are struggling to contain out-of-control wildfires in western Spain and Portugal.

Wildfires are burning in parts of Europe, displacing thousands, as water-dropping planes and helicopters swoop overhead and residents join the effort, beating back flames with cut branches or

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

Smoke from wildfires in Southern Europe has brought hazy conditions to the UK, disrupting the current heatwave, forecasters have said. The UK experienced the fourth heatwave of the summer this week, with some areas seeing the mercury climb above 33C in the hottest places.

The fires have ravaged small, sparsely populated towns in the country's northwest, forcing locals in many cases to act as firefighters. About 2,382 square miles have burned across Spain and Portugal.

In Spain, as temperatures soared above 100 degrees Fahrenheit and wind gusts reached 45 miles per hour, officials ordered the evacuation of 3,700 people across 16 municipalities, the Guardian reported. One man died from burns suffered while trying to free horses from a stable amid the blaze.

Europe’s wildfire crisis intensified as blazes across Greece, Spain, France and Portugal forced thousands to from their homes — killing at least six and consuming over 1 million acres amid record heat and worsening climate conditions.