Series of forest fires in Europe: Popular holiday regions are acutely affected - thousands evacuated in Spain

Created: 07/16/2022, 11:39 am

By: Anna Lorenz

Heat and drought make almost all of Europe a fire hazard zone.

The flames are raging in some regions, including several holiday destinations popular with tourists.

Munich – Dozens of fires are raging in Europe.

The drought favors the emergence of fires, which spread quickly.

Firefighters are working almost continuously to protect and control the blaze in regions that are many popular tourist destinations.

Fires in Italy: forest and bush fires in Trento, in Tuscany and on the islands

In Italy, forest and bush fires are raging across the country, particularly favored by the extreme drought, which is causing existential concerns, especially for farmers.

In the municipality of Gereut (Frassilongo) in Trentino, northern Italy, 90 firefighters, two helicopters and two fire-fighting aircraft responded to a forest fire in an area of ​​around 70 hectares on Friday, July 15, 2022;

the extinguishing work is ongoing to date.

Civil protection urgently warned the population not to approach the affected hiking and skiing area east of Trento.

In Tuscany, too, the Lucca fire brigade had to put out several fires in a burning olive grove on Friday.

Forest and bush fires were also raging in Sicily and Sardinia, and fire-fighting aircraft were used to fight them.

Fires in Spain: Over a dozen forest fires out of control

Meanwhile, the national newspaper “El País” reported that no fewer than 33 forest fires were registered in Spain in the morning of Saturday, July 16, 2022.

14 fires were out of control, near Málaga 2300 people had to leave their homes in the city of Alhaurín el Grande because of the approaching flames.

The country suffers from temperatures that peak at over 40 degrees Celsius.

Fires in Portugal: Series of flames destroys the equivalent of 35,000 football pitches

According to civil protection, 13 larger and dozens of smaller fires are currently raging in Portugal, against which around 1,000 firefighters are currently deployed.

Tourist and larger residential areas are not in danger for the time being, but the series of fires, which has been going on for a week, favored by drought and heat similar to Spain, has already destroyed more than 25,000 hectares of land, according to the ICNF nature conservation authority.

That corresponds to an area of ​​about 35,000 football pitches.

Fires in Greece: Authorities warn citizens to be prudent

On Saturday, July 16, 2022, the Ministry for the Climate Crisis and Civil Protection again warned of a "very high risk of forest fires" in five regions of Greece.

Warning level four (out of five) applies, among other things, to the Attica region with the capital Athens and the islands of Euboea, Crete, Chios and Samos - the last of which was only affected by a fire on Wednesday, July 13, 2022, in which several people died died.

Authorities continued to appeal to people not to handle fire outdoors under any circumstances.