Rhodes: As wildfires burned on several major tourist islands Tuesday, Greece braced for a new wave of scorching temperatures.
According to the national weather forecaster EMY, the temperature in Athens will hit 41 degrees Celsius (106 degrees Fahrenheit), with temperatures reaching 44 degrees Celsius in central Greece.
Many parts of the country were on “red alert,” which means there is a high possibility of deadly forest fires aggravated by high winds.
The extreme heat follows a weekend of extreme heat in which thousands of citizens and tourists escaped forest fires on the Greek islands of Rhodes and Corfu, with the prime minister warning that the heat-stricken country is “at war” with the flames.
Authorities evacuated almost 2,500 people from the Greek island of Corfu on Monday, following the evacuation of tens of thousands of people from the island of Rhodes, with many terrified tourists trying to go home aboard evacuation aircraft.
More than 260 firemen fought fires on Rhodes for the seventh day in a row, aided by two helicopters and two planes.
On Greece’s second largest island, Evia, fires were also blazing, prompting Greek civil protection authorities to issue an overnight evacuation order in one northern locality.
On Sunday, the temperature in Gythio, on the southern Peloponnese peninsula, reached 46.4 degrees Celsius, but fell short of the national record of 48 degrees Celsius.
“We are at war and are exclusively geared towards the fire front,” Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis told parliament on Monday.
He warned that the country would face “another three difficult days ahead” before the high temperatures would subside.
The extreme heat in Greece has been felt throughout much of southern Europe and Northern Africa.
At least 34 people were killed in Algeria as wildfires swept through residential neighbourhoods, causing major evacuations.
Officials in southeastern France issued the highest degree of fire alert in the Bouches-du-Rhone region on Monday, warning that the weather conditions make the risk of flames “very high compared to normal summers.”
The extreme heat in Greece has prompted prominent tourist attractions, such as the Acropolis in Athens, to close during the warmest parts of the day.
Greece’s civil protection minister, Vassilis Kikilias, said personnel had been battling over 500 fires around the country for 12 days.
The fires are especially catastrophic on popular tourist islands like Rhodes and Corfu, where the season is in full flow and hotels are frequently packed.
Volunteers aided international tourists in the north of the island, where almost 200 people remain camped out at a school after being rescued from the fires on Saturday.
According to school director Kyriakos Kyriakoulis, scores of local volunteers and school personnel have stepped forward to assist individuals who have become stuck.
“I can’t believe they are so nice, they gave so much in every way,” said 69-year-old British visitor Christine Moody, who was visiting Greece for the first time when the fires broke out.
“I am very moved,” she expressed.
Vassilis Kalabodakis, mayor of Vati in the island’s southeast, described the impact on the region as “tragic.”
“The village has been ordered to evacuate, but we can’t abandon it,” he explained. “We are the ones who are leading the fight to protect our home.”
According to scientists from the World Weather Attribution group, the heatwaves that have affected areas of Europe and North America this month would have been nearly impossible to avoid if not for human-caused climate change.
Source: AFP
