Heat and fires in Italy, Spain, France: what holidaymakers can expect now

Created: 07/18/2022, 13:10

By: Franziska Kaindl

The summer heat has southern Europe under control: temperatures well over 30 degrees, water shortages and winds cause numerous fires - even in holiday regions.

Driving south and enjoying the sun and cool water there - for most people that is simply part of summer.

Especially now, during the peak travel season, many holiday countries in southern Europe are struggling with sweltering heat.

In Italy, the representative of the association of municipalities even warns against jumping into Lake Garda.

The reason: the water level is so low that bathers can easily bump their heads.

At the same time, forest fires broke out in Portugal, Greece and Spain - in Greece alone 119 forest fires were reported within 24 hours.

Although tourists are not directly affected, it is advisable to keep an eye on the news situation.

Forest fires in Europe: Map shows where the fire is raging

Would you like to find out more about forest fires near your travel destination before your holiday?

A map based on NASA data shows you where forest fires are currently raging in Europe.

Here for the forest fire map

Heat wave in Italy: which regions are affected

Italy has been struggling with an extreme drought for a week: on the island of Sicily, emergency services near Palermo had to move out again to a fire in Montelepre, as the German Press Agency (dpa) reports.

In Abruzzo, south of the city of L'Aquila, a fire-fighting aircraft from Rome supported three fire brigade units on the ground in a forest fire.

And also near Florence, rescue workers had to take care of a wildfire in the municipality of Vinci.

The seaside resort of Bibione is also not immune to forest and bush fires - however, the situation on the beach is under control again.

According to the media, numerous vacationers reported to the authorities because they were worried that they would not be able to spend their vacation in the region.

Wildfire was already raging on the outskirts of Athens in early June.

© Vasilis Rebapis/Eurokinissi/Imago

There were also forest fires in the municipality of Gereut, a hiking area in northern Italy: 90 firefighters had to move in to extinguish an area of ​​around 70 hectares, as the travel reporter reports.

In Tuscany, a burning olive grove triggered the fire brigade in Lucca.

The government of Italy has declared a state of emergency for the rest of the year for the regions of Emilia-Romagna, Friuli-Venezia Giulia, Lombardy, Piedmont and Veneto due to the drought.

However, this has no direct effect on the holiday.

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Vacation in Spain: Forest fires are raging here

According to dpa, around 30 forest fires were still active in Spain by Sunday evening.

The meteorological institute Aemet announced well over 40 degrees for large parts of the country for the day.

Tens of thousands of hectares have fallen victim to the fires, as reported by the state television broadcaster RTVE, citing numerous regional media.

Near the Costa del Sol, more than 3,000 people have been evacuated from their homes because of a forest fire near the town of Mijas, according to a report by The Guardian.

At the same time, a forest fire has now reached the Monfragüe National Park: "Either a miracle happens, or the national park threatens to disappear completely," said the chairman of the Friends of Monfragüe, Francisco Castañares, according to dpa the Spanish newspaper "El Mundo".

So far there are no restrictions in Spain,

30,000 hectares of forest destroyed in Portugal: is it safe to vacation?

The situation in neighboring Portugal is even worse than in Spain: around 1,000 firefighters were still active here on Sunday evening with the help of the military and civil defense to fight 16 forest fires.

According to the nature conservation authority ICNF, around 30,000 hectares of forest were destroyed within a week.

The state of emergency was in force in Portugal until Sunday, meaning that locals and tourists are prohibited from lighting campfires in the forest.

In addition, staying in forests is severely restricted.

The government expressly reserves the right to return to the state of alert on Tuesday.

A vacation is still possible in Portugal – according to the authorities, tourist or larger residential areas are not threatened by the fires.

Greece vacation: heat wave also causes fires here

Greece was badly affected by forest fires last year.

So far, however, the flames in Hellas have been limited, previous fires could be contained quickly, as reported by the Berliner Morgenpost.

On Sunday, however, several holiday homes had to be evacuated near the village of Agios Georgios on Crete.

In regions where fires are currently raging, holidaymakers are warned by an alarm signal and warning SMS on their smartphones in Greek and English.

Heat wave 2022: numerous fires in France

The region around the southwestern French department of Gironde is particularly affected by forest fires.

According to the French newspaper Ouest-France, around 14,000 residents and holidaymakers had to be evacuated from houses, holiday homes and campsites.

Even on Sunday afternoon, the flames were not under control - so far they have destroyed more than 11,000 hectares of land.

Eight other sources of fire are said to have been reported near Montpellier, Toulon and Marseille.

The hot spell is not over yet either: temperatures are expected to rise to over 40 degrees at the beginning of the week and will not drop again until Wednesday at the earliest.

Due to the heat, some forest and country roads on the Atlantic coast south of Bordeaux may not be entered or driven on, according to the dpa.