The satellite images shedding light on Europe's wildfires

With 79 confirmed fatalities and dozens of people still missing, the horrific wildfires currently raging across Greece are the deadliest in the country’s recent history.

Crews battling the blaze are facing terrible conditions, with gale-force winds causing the fires to spread so quickly that many of those caught in their path have simply had no time to escape.

Dramatic satellite images – such as the one below gathered by NASAs Earth Science Data and Information System (ESDIS) - show just what the firefighters are up against.

Captured on July 24, 2018, the image shows actively burning areas (hot spots) outlined in red. Each hot spot is an area where the thermal detectors on the satellite recognised temperatures higher than background. The plumes of smoke which accompany these hot-spots indicate the location of a fire.

With the whole of Europe in the grip of a heatwave, it’s not just Greece that’s been affected. Last month, homes were evacuated and the army called in as a huge blaze took hold on Saddleworth moor in the UK.