In pictures: Europe wildfires

A firefighters near Teruel, Andorra (23 July 2009)

Summer wildfires have been raging across southern Europe, leaving at least seven people dead, destroying homes and scorching thousands of acres of countryside.

Firefighters in La Zoma, Spain (23 July 2009)

Spain has been the country worst hit by the fires, with thousands of people having to abandon their homes. Police and soldiers have been brought in to assist fire crews.

A firefighter's body is loaded onto a helicopter near Tarragona, Spain (22 July 2009)

Spain has lost five firefighters to the flames in the last four days. Four were killed in Catalonia on Tuesday and a fire engine driver died in Teruel province on Thursday.

Burnt vehicles near Tavaco, Corsica (24 July 2009)

About 4,000 hectares (10,000 acres) of woodland and scrub has been burned by several fires across the French island of Corsica.

Fire burns inside a house in Tavaco, Corsica (23 July 2009)

Local authorities on the island have said some of the fires, which have destroyed dozens of homes, may have been started deliberately.

Wildfire on the outskirts of Marseilles, France (23 July 2009)

There was anger in Marseille, southern France, after it was revealed that military exercises had sparked a major fire outside the city.

A man protects his face from smoke in Marseilles, France (22 July 2009)

Residents protected their faces and eyes from the thick smoke as the fires burned up 1,300 hectares (3,211 acres) of brush and threatened homes.

Elderly women are evacuated from a retirement home in Marseilles, France (23 July 2009)

More than 1,500 people were eventually evacuated by emergency services. The authorities are now investigating what local prefect Michel Sappin called the "imbecilic" actions of the military.

A firefighter on Monte Arci, Sardinia (23 July 2009)

Two people have been killed on the Italian island of Sardinia, including a shepherd who had been trying to rescue his flock from the flames.

A firefighting plane over Monte Arci, Sardinia (23 July 2009)

Inmates were evacuated from the Is Arenas prison on the island as the fires approached. Planes were used to tackle flames on the Monte Arci mountain.

A helicopter dumps water on fires near Thebes, Athens (23 July 2009)

Helicopters and planes also flew over the city of Thebes in Greece to prevent the fires, which destroyed forests and farms, from reaching more densely populated areas.