(CNN) Devastating wildfires have spread across parts of southern Europe, tearing through the Spanish and Greek countryside and forcing around 1,000 people from their homes on the Italian island of Sardinia. Sardinia's local government declared a state of emergency on Sunday, due to what it described as a "disaster without precedence." In an update on Tuesday, regional spokesman Ignazio Artissu told CNN the current estimate of burned area is around 20,000 hectares, but officials are still assessing the damage. Over recent days, the region deployed 7,500 people and over 20 aircraft to fight the fires. Italy has also received support from neighboring countries, with France and Greece deploying four planes to provide assistance in putting out the flames.

Source: CNN July 27, 2021 15:00 UTC