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Fire in the front yard: The situation is becoming more and more threatening
Photo:
Vasilis Rebapis / imago images / ANE Edition
The
situation is worsening
on the island of Evia in
Greece
.
For a week now, huge areas of forest have been in flames and the fires are still spreading uncontrollably.
The next heat wave of over 40 degrees is looming in the region, which could once again promote the spread of the flames.
In the north of Evia, apocalyptic scenes took place at night.
The northern part is now almost completely cut off from the rest of the island by the countless large fires, as satellite images show.
Rescue workers, volunteers and residents could not keep the flames in check, but were driven towards the coast by them.
Residents are brought to safety by boat
Boats were ready to evacuate residents - thousands have already had to leave the island.
The clouds of smoke and the glow of fire could still be seen over 100 kilometers on the mainland.
Uncontrolled fires also continue to rage on the Greek peninsula of Peloponnese and Crete.
Many Euboean residents feel abandoned by the authorities.
Rescue workers and volunteers are also fighting the fire in the southwestern Turkish town of Mugla.
In
Turkey
five uncontrolled forest fires were counted.
In Mugla, southwest Turkey, emergency services and volunteers continued to fight the flames.
The extent of the damage is increasing.
According to Doganay Tolunay, forest engineer at Istanbul University, an estimated 150,000 hectares of land were burned across the country, including forests, fields, meadows and entire villages - an area more than twice the size of Lake Constance.
In Turkey, the hot and dry weather also complicates the situation.
Flames also threaten the Italian coastal town
Italy
is also affected
.
Around the Italian Adriatic community of Campomarino, more than 400 people had to be fetched from their accommodations on Sunday evening.
The authorities evacuated hotels, campsites and houses in the district of Campomarino Lido by the sea.
A video from the fire brigade showed how dense smoke ran through the streets and flames eroded through bushes to a café.
The Italian civil protection authority is also sending reinforcements to the region of Calabria, which has been badly affected by forest fires.
There it burned, among other things, in the Aspromonte National Park.
The heat waves that favor the forest fires will also be a topic at the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), which will present its new report on global warming this Monday (10 a.m.).
The report by 234 international experts deals, among other things, with the risk of extreme events.
You can also read the SPIEGEL cover story: Where the climate is changing - and where we still have a chance.
apr / dpa