Wildfires Sweep Across Southern Europe as Greece Battles Major Blaze Near Athens

AFP

A resident gestures as firefighters fight a wildfire in Haidari, near Athens.

Greek firefighters were battling on Sunday to bring a major wildfire under control after it destroyed more than 100 homes northwest of Athens, while a fresh blaze forced evacuations on the popular tourist island of Kefalonia, Reuters reported.

Europe has been hit by a wave of devastating wildfires this summer following record-breaking heatwaves and prolonged dry conditions, which scientists say have been intensified by climate change.

Although wildfires in France and Spain showed signs of easing over the weekend, several new fires have broken out in Greece after a period of relative calm. Strong winds that had fuelled the wildfire near Porto Germeno, on the Gulf of Corinth around 60 kilometres northwest of Athens, have subsided. However, the flames spread across a mountain to the south, reaching the settlement of Veniza and a nearby military firing range, where unexploded ordnance was activated.

Nearly 500 Greek firefighters, supported by fire engines, heavy machinery and firefighting aircraft, have been deployed to tackle the blaze. France and Romania have also sent assistance.

Greek newspaper Protothema reported that emergency crews were making every effort to stop the fire spreading from Veniza to the nearby coastal town of Megara. More than 10,000 hectares of land are believed to have been destroyed so far.

Overnight, authorities evacuated several communities on the Ionian island of Kefalonia after a wildfire broke out in the Pastra area in the island’s south.

In France, wildfires in the Gironde and Var departments appeared to be easing, with officials reporting only minor flare-ups in Gironde and confirming that the fire in Var had not spread overnight.

In central Spain, wildfires that scorched tens of thousands of hectares over the past week were largely under control, although firefighters continued to tackle flare-ups in some areas.

In the western Spanish province of Cáceres, a forest fire that erupted on Saturday prompted the evacuation of around 800 residents. They were allowed to return home on Sunday but were instructed to remain indoors as the fire continued to burn.

Elsewhere in Europe, severe drought and falling water levels in major rivers, including the Rhine and the Danube, are creating further challenges. The Danube has reached its lowest recorded levels in Hungary, Serbia and Romania.

Hungarian Prime Minister Peter Magyar warned that the country faces a critical five-day period as the shrinking Danube forced Hungary’s only nuclear power plant to shut down for the first time in more than four decades, with another heatwave forecast.

The prolonged lack of rainfall has also disrupted shipping and tourism in Hungary and prompted water-use restrictions in more than 100 towns and villages.

In neighbouring Serbia, the Danube fell to its lowest level since 1985, reducing the daily output of the country's largest hydropower plant to just 20%, the country's energy minister said on Sunday.

Source: Reuters



PUKMEDIA