Spain, Portugal, France, Italy, the Balkans and Britain have this week wilted in high temperatures that fuel wildfires and which scientists say human-induced climate change is intensifying.
Thousands of firefighters backed by the army deployed across Greece, with fire service spokesman Vassilis Vathrakogiannis saying “the situation remains difficult” for “forces waging a tough battle”.
AFP journalists saw residents and firefighters backed by helicopters frantically attempt to douse flames in scrubland and forests outside Patras, with thick smoke reducing visibility.
Other fronts were burning on the popular Ionian tourist islands of Zante and Cephalonia and the Aegean island of Chios, scarred by a huge wildfire in June that ravaged more than 4,000 hectares.
Vathrakogiannis said 71 people had received medical care, mostly in the western town of Preveza and the Patras area.
“A fully reformed civil protection system with an emphasis on prevention is required,“ PASOK said, identifying a poor coordination of forces and a lack of local emergency plans that made firefighting “extremely challenging”.
Wildfires dominated the news in Spain, where flames have threatened a world heritage Roman mining site in the northwestern region of Castile and Leon.
Interior Minister Fernando Grande-Marlaska said late Wednesday that Spain had asked the European Union for help, including the deployment of two water-bombing planes.
Bushy undergrowth and searing temperatures that have baked Spain for almost two weeks had created “the worst possible breeding ground for this situation”, said Castile and Leon’s civil protection head Irene Cortes.
Portugal
Strong gusts of wind had rekindled flames overnight and threatened nearby villages, where television images showed locals volunteering to help firefighters under a thick cloud of smoke.
A separate fire in a mountainous zone of Arganil in central Portugal smothered several villages with smoke, prompting the evacuation of elderly residents in particular.
Dozens of blazes stretched emergency services in the Balkans, where a severe drought and a prolonged heatwave have exacerbated the region's traditional fire season.
Authorities have evacuated residents in parts of central and southern Albania, but easing weather conditions in neighbouring Montenegro helped firefighters protect homes.
Britain
A blaze in northern England’s North York Moors national park was declared a “major incident” on Wednesday and covered around five square kilometres (nearly two square miles), firefighters said - AFP
Hence then, the article about thousands battle greece fires as heatwave bakes europe was published today ( ) and is available on Daily Sun ( Middle East ) The editorial team at PressBee has edited and verified it, and it may have been modified, fully republished, or quoted. You can read and follow the updates of this news or article from its original source.
Read More Details
Finally We wish PressBee provided you with enough information of ( Thousands battle Greece fires as heatwave bakes Europe )
Also on site :