A heat wave is currently causing temperatures above 40 degrees Celsius and numerous forest fires in Italy, Greece and Turkey.
An overview.
Antalya / Athens / Catania - While in Germany a predominantly typical Central European weather prevails for the summer with occasional rain, some holiday countries in southern Europe are struggling with enormous heat and drought.
Temperatures well over 40 degrees Celsius are currently the order of the day in Greece.
Massive forest fires are also raging in Turkey and Italy.
Italy: Fire brigade with more than 800 forest fire operations - Sicily particularly affected
For days, numerous fires have been blazing, especially in the south of Italy and on the large islands.
Drought, heat and strong winds keep causing the fires to spread.
In addition to Sicily, western Sardinia is also particularly affected.
Forests and houses burned down there.
Rescue workers had to bring people to safety.
The fire brigade announced that the situation is also critical in Lazio, where the capital Rome is located, as well as in the regions of Apulia and Campania.
The emergency services have moved there more than 800 times in the past 24 hours because of the forest fires. The fire brigade announced this on Saturday morning (July 31) via Twitter. In Sicily alone there were 250 missions. Video recordings from Catania showed that the fires had spread to the big city in eastern Sicily. Thick billows of smoke drifted over the houses. On Friday evening (July 30th) operations at Catania airport had to be temporarily suspended. According to the Ansa news agency, houses in the city have been evacuated and 150 people have been brought to safety. For Saturday (July 31), the civil protection authorities predicted the highest fire risk level for eastern and northern Sicily.
#Oggi i #vigilidelfuoco hanno effettuato 370 interventi per #incendiboschivi, 140 solo in Sicilia, criticità anche nel Lazio, Puglia e Campania.
Nella clip elicottero AW 139 in ricognizione aerea per un incendio in via Palermo, alle porte di #Catania [# 30luglio 17:30] pic.twitter.com/0Emioyok1I
- Vigili del Fuoco (@emergenzavvf) July 30, 2021
Turkey: Numerous fires in the holiday region of Antalya - so far four deaths
In Turkey, the operations against the numerous forest fires have also continued. Fires, the number of which usually occur over a long period of time, broke out within just two days, said Bekir Pakdemirli, the Minister of Agriculture and Forestry, on Friday (July 30). Ten fires are still active, including three in the popular holiday region of Antalya, Pakdemirli announced on Saturday (July 31) on Twitter. Of the total of 98 fires that broke out in numerous provinces since Wednesday, 88 are under control.
On TV pictures, meter high flames, dark clouds and charred landscapes could be seen.
According to official information, four people have died in the forest fires so far.
Numerous people were injured.
Some regions had to be evacuated, including hotels in the Mediterranean city of Marmaris and near Bodrum.
The authorities are investigating in all directions and are not ruling out arson.
Temperatures above 40 degrees are expected again for the next few days.
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The massive forest fires in Turkey have already claimed several lives.
© Arif Kaplan / dpa
Greece: "Historic heat wave" - temperatures well over 40 degrees Celsius
In Greece, the forest fires that raged near the capital Athens, among others, are back under control. The Greek civil defense announced this on Wednesday (July 28th). However, the heat wave that began at the beginning of the week seems to be continuing. After values around 43 degrees Celsius had been measured in places over the past three days, according to weather experts, the thermometers should show up to 46 degrees Celsius during the day on the weekend and the whole of the following week.
Even at night, the temperatures in the metropolitan areas should not fall below 30 degrees Celsius. On the state television broadcaster
ERT,
some meteorologists have already spoken of a "historic heat wave". The civil defense ordered that outdoor work be stopped or reduced as much as possible. Cities have set up air-conditioned halls for people who do not have air conditioning at home to find refuge in. Doctors advised residents and tourists not to linger in the blazing sun and not to drink alcohol. One should shower more often and wear light, loose cotton clothing.
An end to the heat wave in Greece could not be foreseen on Saturday.
Some experts feared that the dangerous situation could last for up to two weeks.
(ph / dpa)
List of rubric lists: © Arif Kaplan
