3 firefighters die in Crete

Three firefighters died Wednesday while battling a blaze in a forest on the Greek island of Crete, while the government warned that hot weather could cause more blazes.

The three perished after the fire trapped them in a gorge.

A fourth firefighter was hospitalized with serious burns. The fire started about 2 p.m. in a forested, mountainous area outside the city of Rethymnon on Crete's northern coast.

Fanned by strong winds, the fire continued to burn along four different fronts. It was battled by 54 firefighters, 13 fire trucks, and a water-dropping helicopter.

Public Order Minister Vyron Polydoras said the victims were "genuine heroes for their sacrifice and tragic deaths."

The government warned that many Greek regions faced heightened fire risk due to high temperatures and winds. It warned against risky actions in the countryside, such as brush-burning. Temperatures topped 102 degrees this week.

Fires have plagued many parts of Greece in recent weeks. Dry conditions were worsened by some of the hottest early summer weather on record.

In late June, two people died in a wildfire outside Larissa in central Greece. Also last month, a huge forest fire destroyed large swaths of a national park on Mount Parnitha, near Athens, killing red deer and other protected animals. Protesters demanded tougher forest protection laws, arguing the government mishandled the Parnitha firefighting effort.

Power outages struck during the June heat wave, when temperatures hit 115 degrees.