Two dead as wildfires sweep Greek island where Persians lost their fleet

Two people have died as fast-moving wildfires swept the Greek island of Salamina, with residents preparing to evacuate. The BBC and the Independent both report the fires breaking out on the island, which lies in the Saronic Gulf west of Athens.

The Guardian reports evacuation orders issued as the fires spread. The island, heavily wooded in parts, has faced dry conditions. Greek authorities are coordinating the response.

Salamina is the island where the Greek fleet destroyed the Persian navy in one of the defining naval battles of the ancient world. The Persians had burnt Athens; the Greeks lured their fleet into the narrows and broke it. The battle settled which civilisation would shape Europe. The island that decided the course of Western history is now under evacuation orders for a different kind of fire.

What to watch: whether the fires are contained before reaching the island's main settlements, and whether the death toll rises. Greece faces its fire season every summer; the question is always how much burns before the rains come.