After several days with temperatures around 40 degrees and a longer dry period, several forest and bush fires broke out near Athens. “We are fighting around 20 fires that also threaten inhabited regions,” said a spokesman for the fire brigade on state radio. Dozens of planes and helicopters are in use. The Greek firefighters are supported by around 30 Romanian firefighters.
According to the fire brigade, the situation in the municipality of Kouvaras, about 50 kilometers south-east of the capital, is difficult because strong winds are fanning the flames. The flames quickly eat through the dry bushes and spread towards the seaside resorts of Lagonissi, Anavyssos and Saronida, where many holiday homes are located. The authorities asked the residents to leave the place, children’s summer camps were also affected.
The Greek news agency ANA reported another forest fire near the seaside resort of Loutraki, northeast of Corinth. The authorities there had also ordered evacuations as a precaution.
This Monday, the temperatures in Greece were around 35 degrees across the country, more bearable than in the days before, when the thermometers in Crete and Athens, among other places, showed 44 degrees. Meteorologists are already warning of the next heat wave. From Wednesday onwards the temperatures will rise again and next weekend it will again be more than 40 degrees in many places. Among other things, in the metropolis of Athens, temperatures are expected to rise to up to 44 degrees.
“Oven” feeling also on Mallorca
Spain is groaning under what is now the third official heat wave this summer. The national weather service Aemet has issued a heat alert for twelve regions. The result was deserted streets and full beaches in many places, as reported by the TV station RTVE, among others. The few people who dared to take to the streets in Madrid, for example, when the announced maximum temperature of 39 degrees in the shade, tried to cool themselves with fans, umbrellas and water bottles, among other things.
The second heat wave with temperatures of almost 45 degrees in Spain only ended on Thursday, the third is now expected to last until Wednesday. Until then, you will feel as if you are in the “oven”, headlined the newspaper “AS”.
In contrast to the first two heat waves, this time, in addition to the region of Andalusia and parts of Catalonia and Navarra, the holiday hotspot Mallorca is the focus for the first time with particularly high temperatures announced. This Monday, 36 degrees were already measured on the Balearic island. For Tuesday, Aemet even declared the highest red alert for the north, northeast and center of the island. In Inca, about 30 kilometers northeast of the island’s capital, Palma, the thermometer should reach the 44-degree mark, according to the experts. That would be the highest value measured on Mallorca so far this year.
Tuesday possibly up to 42 degrees in Rome
With maximum temperatures of around 40 degrees Celsius, it was hotter in Italy’s capital Rome today than in Palermo in the south of the country. It’s supposed to be even hotter on Tuesday – a record temperature of 42 degrees could be reached in Rome, according to the national weather service.
The Italian Ministry of Health has declared the highest heat alert level for almost all major cities – this means that healthy people can also be threatened with negative physical effects. In parts of the Mediterranean island of Sardinia and in Apulia in the south, the 40-degree mark was broken again this Monday. The heatwave is expected to last all week.
Extreme heat is also currently prevailing in parts of North America, North Africa and regions in Asia.
qu/pg (dpa, afp)
Source: DW
