By David Latona PATRAS, Greece/MADRID (Reuters) -Hundreds of firefighters battled to put out wildfires across southern Europe on Thursday, some of which are believed to have been set deliberately by arsonists and stoked by an extended heat wave gripping the region.

Wildfires intensified across southern Europe on Wednesday with a round-the-clock battle to protect the perimeter of Greece's third-largest city and at least three deaths reported in Spain, Turkey and Albania.

Firefighters in Spain have been battling wildfires in the north-western province of Leon. Three people have died in Spain due to the blazes this summer. The country is among several European countries experiencing scorching temperatures this week that fuel wildfires and which scientists say human-induced climate change is intensifying.

More than 9,000 hectares have been burned in wildfires across Spain’s Ourense province in Galicia, where residents have been evacuated as flames approach homes.