The eastern coast of the Mediterranean is suffering from the country’s worst heatwave in more than three decades.
Temperatures have reached 47.1°C in some parts of northern Greece.
These unusual and extremely high temperatures are behind the 150 fires that have been registered in the area, mainly in Turkey and Greece, in recent days, fueled by wind sources.
“We are still fighting a titanic battle on many fronts,” Deputy Civil Protection Minister Nikos Hardalias said during a briefing.
“The next few days will be more difficult.”
A dozen villages were evacuated near the western Peloponnese region of Greece, where the ancient Olympic Games were held.
“We are doing everything we can to save this holy place,” local mayor Panagiotis Antonakopoulos told Open TV.
“After human lives, our priority is to save our history.”
Meanwhile, in the capital Athens, firefighters were trying to control the flames after thousands of people were forced to flee their homes.
The city remained shrouded in smoke throughout Wednesday, with residents with respiratory problems told to stay indoors.
The air in the city was loaded with up to 465 micrograms of fine dust per cubic meter, with 50 micrograms being the limit set by the European Union.
On the island of Evia, 200 kilometers north of Athens, dozens of people fled by boat as wildfires spread rapidly, burning everything in their path.
“It was burning all night. The forest was destroyed, the villages were burned. We left our houses behind, we left our pets behind,” Christina Katsini, a local resident, told Skai TV as quoted by Reuters.
“I have never seen this devastation”
Turkey has been fighting the same problem for several days in a row.
Last weekend, tourists and residents had to be evacuated in the south of the country after more than 130 fires ripped through forests and houses for six consecutive days.
Turkish Coast Guard vessels, assisted by private boats and yachts, were deployed to take the tourists to safety, local media reported.
The fires caused the death of eight people.
“We’ve had small fires before. But I’ve never seen this devastation,” a woman told the BBC.
“Now (the fire) is everywhere.”
The worst fires have been along the coasts of the Mediterranean and the Aegean Sea, a major tourist region.
Satellite photos showed vast forests burned after flames consumed nearly 100,000 hectares.
Hundreds of people have sought medical treatment in the wake of the hundreds of fires, most of whom have been released from hospital.
The fires have been the most intense on record in Turkey, a European Union atmosphere monitor said.
With temperatures still rising, more fires and smoke pollution are likely in the Mediterranean region.
Another affected area has been Pescara, in Italy, where at least five people were injured after a fire forced the evacuation of hundreds of resorts and homes.
Experts say climate change is increasing not only the frequency but also the intensity of fires.
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BBC-NEWS-SRC: https://www.bbc.com/mundo/noticias-internacional-58100586, IMPORTING DATE: 2021-08-05 15:10:05
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