Funerals are being held on Thursday 30 July for the two firefighters who died on Wednesday afternoon while tackling a large wildfire in the Krya Vrysi, Rethymno area of southern Crete.

Crowds of relatives, friends, fellow firefighters and members of the public, many carrying flowers to pay their respects, gathered today at the funeral of the younger man, Pantelis Diamantakis, is taking place at midday at the Church of Agios Nektarios in Episkopi, Fourfouras, in the Amari region, with his body lying in state from 11am. The funeral of his colleague, Manolis Stratidakis, will be held at 5pm at the Church of the Annunciation of the Virgin Mary in Gerakari, also in Amari, with his body received at the church from 4pm.

The two men had been travelling in a Fire Service vehicle when they became trapped by the advancing flames. According to initial reports, thick smoke disorientated them and they were surrounded by fire before they could escape. Investigators believe the men abandoned their vehicle in an attempt to find a way out on foot, but the blaze intensified within seconds as strong winds fanned the flames, and the resulting smoke left them effectively blind. A Fire Service official said the smoke had been so dense it made it impossible for the men to see anything, and that they had been unable to move in any clear direction once caught in the extreme heat.

Their bodies were later found just outside the vehicle by colleague. According to local news outlet patris.gr, no distress call or radio contact was made before the men were found.

Diamantakis, 25, was from Fourfouras in the Amari region and had recently completed his studies at the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki before beginning work as a seasonal firefighter, this being his second year in the role. He had taken over the morning shift from another volunteer firefighter shortly before the tragedy. The son of a large family whose father serves as a priest in the area, he was remembered by those who knew him as a kind and gentle young man. Stratidakis, 58, was from Gerakari and had served in the Fire Service for many years as a firefighter on a five-year contract. He had also been chairman of the Gerakari Cultural Association and was known locally for his active and selfless involvement in community life.

A volunteer with the Apokoronas Emergency Volunteer Team broke down in tears on camera while speaking about the deaths of the two firefighters. Visibly shaken, he offered condolences to the families, saying it was the first time two families would not see their children come home, and that he had seen the men himself, calling their presence there “a mistake” made in tragic circumstances. Struggling to continue, he described the devastation left by the fire, homes, cars and animals destroyed, and said the dead could not be brought back, as hundreds of firefighters and volunteers continued to battle the flames.