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.
- Hundreds of fires rage in, partly areas popular with tourists Europe. This holiday regions are acutely affected.
- This News ticker on the risk of forest fires in Europe is continuously updated.
Update from July 16, 2022, 12:00 p.m.: When a fire-fighting plane crashed in the northeast of Portugal the pilot died. Like the national newspaper Publico citing Civil Defense reported that the single-engine seaplane was near the town of Vila Nova de Foz Côa for unknown reasons on the afternoon of Friday, July 15, 2022 about 200 kilometers east of Porto crashed. The machine was involved in fighting a forest fire in the Torre de Moncorvo region. The 38-year-old pilot André Serra could only be recovered dead. “He will be remembered for his courage, his bravery and his commitment,” said the President’s Office in Lisbon in recognition of the pilot who had an accident.
Series of forest fires in Europe: Popular holiday regions are acutely affected – thousands evacuated in Spain
First report from July 16, 2022, 11:39 a.m.: 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 commune of Gereut (Frassilongo) im northern Italian Trentino on Friday, July 15, 2022, 90 firefighters, two helicopters and two firefighting planes responded to a forest fire in an area of around 70 hectares; the extinguishing work is ongoing to date. The civil defense urgently warned the population not to approach the affected hiking and skiing area east of Trento. Also in the Tuscany the Lucca fire brigade had to put out several fires in a burning olive grove on Friday. on Sicily and Sardinia Forest and bush fires also blazed, 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, close to Malaga 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 to the region, among other things Attica with the capital Athens as well as the islands Euboea, Crete, Chios and Samos – the last one was only affected by a fire on Wednesday, July 13, 2022, in which several people died. Authorities continued to appeal to people not to handle fire outdoors under any circumstances.
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