A LANCASHIRE fire boss has spoken of his pride in the four firefighters deployed to assist Greece as wildfires continue to devastate parts of the country.

The 21-man team, put together by the National Fire Chiefs Council, responded to calls from the Home Office to give operational assistance to Greece and includes one Bamber Bridge and three Chorley based firefighters.

They headed to Athens on Sunday and were deployed alongside their Greek counterparts in tactical firefighting. Dave Widdop, Tom Cogley and Adam Varey are based out of Chorley fire station, while Stewart Bromwich is from Bamber Bridge.

All the firefighters have been entirely self-sufficient, ensuring that no additional burden is placed upon a country already suffering demands on its resources when faced with the aftermath of sudden onset disasters.

Chief Fire Officer and vice-chair of the National Fire Chiefs Council, Justin Johnston said: "When the request came through from the Home Office and the National Fire Chiefs Council, I was happy to offer the support of Lancashire’s firefighters.

"The scenes that we have seen of the wildfires burning in Greece have been shocking and I know that the team from the UK fire and rescue services will have the specialist skills to help our fire family in Greece.

"The request came through on the same day that we learnt about the tragic death of a firefighter in Greece whilst thousands of people are being evacuated from their homes. Our thoughts are with all those people whose lives have been affected by these devastating fires and we wish the 21 firefighters from the UK all the best."

The wildfires are largely due to the country's most severe heatwave in 30 years, with temperatures soaring to more than 40 degrees centigrade in some areas. More fires are likely, with forecasts of strong winds and searing temperatures.

The four firefighters are volunteers and members of the International Search and Rescue Teams. They have previously been deployed to Haiti and Japan.