April 19, 2024

Athens News

News in English from Greece

Fiery nightmare continues in Western Europe

The fiery nightmare continues in Western Europe. In Portugal, the commander of a fire plane was killed in the fight against fire. In Spain, the temperature has risen above 45 degrees, and firefighters are fighting the flames that have engulfed vast areas.

In France, the situation is not much better, with a fire in the pine forests in the Bordeaux region raging for the fifth day. International agencies broadcast dramatic footage, as well as Emmanuel Macron’s gratitude for helping Greece with two Canadairs.

Around 3,000 firefighters said the French president was fighting alongside the town of Landiras, south of Bordeaux, while roads were closed and nearly 1,000 residents were evacuated. How exactly Macron fought is another question.

The second front of fire runs along the coast of the Atlantic Ocean in the area of ​​”Dune du Pilat” – the highest dune in Europe. About 6,000 people were evacuated on Wednesday and another 4,000 on Thursday. Two fires in recent days have burned at least 23,800 acres.

Portugal: one dead, 135 injured

In Portugal, a “state of emergency” has been in effect since last Sunday: 28 active fires, more than 2,000 firefighters are on duty. Portuguese state television RTP reported that the burned area – 74,000 hectares – had already exceeded the 2021 total. The Portuguese Institute of the Sea and the Atmosphere (IPMA) said that 13 regions reached record temperatures on Wednesday, with temperatures reaching 46.3 degrees Celsius in the central city of Lussa.

Spain: 237 people died due to high temperatures

According to the Spanish Instituto Carlos III, which records heat-related deaths daily, 237 deaths were related to high temperatures from July 10 to 14. This is a significant increase from 25 temperature-related deaths the previous week. With a record temperature of 44.1 degrees Celsius, fires are raging in the northwestern city of Ourense and 18,200 acres of land have already burned.

In the south of Andalusia, 3,000 people were evacuated from villages under threat due to a fire that started near the village of Mijas in the province of Malaga. About 200 firefighters, supported by 18 aircraft, tried to contain the fire. For the sixth day now, firefighters have been trying to bring under control a fire caused by a lightning strike in the Las Hurdes area.



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