Italy, Greece and Turkey continue to fight countless uncontrolled forest fires. In many places there are dramatic scenes. The rescue workers are exhausted, places have to be evacuated again and again.
Athens / Rome / Mugla / Geneva – The situation is becoming more and more threatening: On the Greek island of Evia, huge forest areas are on fire on the seventh day, the fires are spreading uncontrollably. Rescue workers and volunteers also fought fire on Monday night in Mugla in southwestern Turkey.
In Italy, hundreds of people were evacuated because of fires on the Adriatic coast. There is no improvement in sight: At the beginning of the week, the next heat wave of over 40 degrees is threatening the entire region. In line with this, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change presented its new report on global warming on Monday.
Northern Evia cut off from the rest of the island
In the north of Evia, apocalyptic scenes took place on Monday night. The northern part is now almost completely cut off from the rest of the island by the countless large fires, as satellite images show. Rescue workers, volunteers and residents could not keep the flames in check, but were driven towards the coast by them.
Boats were ready to evacuate residents – thousands have already had to leave the island. The clouds of smoke and the glow of fire could still be seen over 100 kilometers on the mainland. Uncontrolled fires also continue to rage on the Peloponnese peninsula and Crete.
More than 400 people evacuated
In Italy, more than 400 people were taken from their accommodations on Sunday evening due to fires around the Italian Adriatic community of Campomarino. The authorities evacuated hotels, campsites and houses in the district of Campomarino Lido by the sea.
A video from the fire brigade showed how dense smoke ran through the streets and flames eroded through bushes to a café. The Italian civil protection authority is also sending reinforcements to the region of Calabria, which has been badly affected by forest fires. There it burned in the Aspromonte National Park, among other places.
Turkey: 150,000 hectares of land burned
Five uncontrolled forest fires were counted in Turkey. In Mugla, southwest Turkey, emergency services and volunteers continued to fight the flames. The extent of the damage is increasing. According to Doganay Tolunay, forest engineer at Istanbul University, an estimated 150,000 hectares of land were burned across the country, including forests, fields, meadows and entire villages – an area more than twice the size of Lake Constance.
New heat wave is coming
The weather will make the situation even more difficult in the coming days: From Monday onwards, a new heat wave will begin in southern Europe, with temperatures in many places rising to over 40 degrees. Heat waves will also be a topic at the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), which today presents its new report on the state of knowledge on global warming. He wants to dispel any last doubts about the responsibility of humans for climate change. The report by 234 international experts deals, among other things, with the risk of extreme events such as the recent heat waves in Greece and Turkey and the floods in Germany. dpa
