Powerful winds have driven wildfires across several parts of Greece, including areas near Athens, as authorities mount large-scale firefighting operations and carry out emergency evacuations.
The renewed threat comes as fire conditions also deteriorate in parts of Spain and France.
Wildfires have torn through Europe this summer following a succession of record-breaking heatwaves and prolonged rainfall shortages.
Villages in France and Spain have been destroyed, while hundreds of thousands of residents and holidaymakers have been forced to leave their homes and accommodation.
In France, a blaze in the mountainous Var department in the southeast reignited yesterday, just three days after it had been brought under control. The fire swept across more than 1,000 hectares in six hours, BFM TV reported.
Almost 2,500 people were evacuated overnight. Firefighters were expected to receive reinforcements today as stronger winds threatened to make efforts to contain the flames more difficult.
French firefighters pump water out of a house’s swimming pool during a wildfire in southeastern France
Spanish conditions mixed
Spain is still battling several wildfire hot spots, two days after the government declared an end to the national emergency triggered by major fires in the country’s central provinces.
In the northern province of Leon, conditions deteriorated after a new fire erupted last night. Another blaze remained active, while a third was progressing favourably, authorities said.
In neighbouring Zamora, a fire that scorched about 11,000 hectares eased sufficiently for 14 evacuated towns to reopen and for restrictions to be removed.
The Vall d’Uixo fire in the eastern province of Castellon was stabilised on its seventh day after burning nearly 10,000 hectares, enabling all evacuated residents to return. Police said they suspected arson after discovering two separate ignition points.
Large fires in the central regions of Madrid and Avila, which burned more than 70,000 hectares, were also stabilised. A fresh outbreak near the San Juan reservoir was extinguished yesterday.
Emergency alerts
Greek authorities issued emergency alerts for several areas today and warned that Attica and Evia faced an extreme wildfire risk.
More than 300 firefighters, 92 firefighting trucks, heavy machinery and aircraft continued battling a major blaze in Boeotia. More than 200 people from Agios Vasileios, a town about 80km northwest of Athens, were evacuated by sea.
Greek Coast Guard patrol boats and a Fire Service vessel also rescued 12 people who fled the same fire from the beach at Porto Germeno.
Overnight firefighting operations continued in the regions of Argolida and Arta.
Austria’s Agency for Health and Food Safety reported a record 395 heat-related deaths in June.
About half of Austria’s weather stations recorded temperatures of at least 35C during the month, while 15 stations registered 39C or higher.
Earlier this week, the UK said an estimated 2,877 people in Britain had died from heat-related causes so far this year. France reported 5,764 excess deaths between 17 June and 2 July, while Germany’s RKI health body estimated that 9,800 people had died so far this year in connection with the high temperatures.
Power output hit
Record-low water levels on the Danube, which runs from Germany to the Black Sea, have reduced nuclear power production in Hungary and hydropower generation in Serbia.
River transport has also been disrupted in Hungary, Serbia and Romania. Barges have had to sharply reduce their loads to navigate increasingly narrow shipping lanes, while Serbia’s fuel imports fell to a quarter of its July target as barges and tankers cut back their cargoes.
Romania’s state nuclear power producer Nuclearelectrica ROSNN.BX shut one of its two reactors earlier this week because of low river levels. The second reactor was also expected to follow soon, a move that could deprive the country of a fifth of its electricity needs.
