Fires in Algeria claim numerous deaths. The heat wave continues to create a tense situation in the Mediterranean region as well.
Algiers / Catania / Athens – Fires in Algeria killed 42 people. According to Prime Minister Ayman Ben Abdel Rahman, there were 25 soldiers among them. These were said to have died during rescue operations in the affected areas of Tizi Ouzou and Bejaia, east of the capital Algiers.
As President Abdelmadjid Tebboune announced on Tuesday via Twitter, they managed to rescue more than 100 people from the flames.
Greece: Forest fires get out of control – houses on fire
The situation in Greece is also getting worse, especially on the Greek Peloponnese peninsula. In the town of Pirris, for example, houses were burning. 19 villages have already been evacuated via emergency SMS. As reported by the Greek media, the fire front in the municipality of Grotynia in the west of the country was about ten kilometers long. The emergency services were then notified that night. A barrier to the north is now to be created to prevent the flames from working their way further towards the prefecture of Ilia. Ancient Olympia is also located there. The extinguishing work was made more difficult by unfavorable winds.
The Greek fire brigade reported 54 new forest fires within 24 hours. The situation on Greece’s second largest island Evia also remains tense. The weather forecast gives hope, however: The weather service has forecast several hours of rainfall for Wednesday in some places.
Fires in Greichenland: Hesse and North Rhine-Westphalia provide rescue workers
In many places the firefighters are international helpers. The German Fire Brigade Association announced that fire fighters from Hesse and North Rhine-Westphalia are on their way to Greece. As part of the European Union’s civil protection mechanism, they are supposed to help control the flames. According to the association, 168 emergency services and 56 others from North Rhine-Westphalia come from Hesse.
Heat wave in Italy: Authority classifies Sicily in the highest fire risk category for Wednesday
Large parts of Italy expect an increased risk of forest fires on Wednesday. The south of the country as well as the large holiday islands of Sicily and Sardinia are preparing for a heat wave with temperatures sometimes well over 40 degrees Celsius. Together with the winds and the drought, it will further increase the risk of fire.
The Italian civil protection authority classified almost all of Sicily in the highest fire risk category. Heat warnings now apply to the provinces around the cities of Palermo and Catania. Regional President Nello Musumeci announced on Tuesday that he would ask the government in Rome to declare a national emergency. Sicily, which had already proclaimed this, was able to help damaged farmers more quickly, for example.
Forest fires in Turkey: wind, heat and drought make extinguishing work difficult
Heat of more than 40 degrees Celsius, drought and strong winds are not the only adversities that fire fighters in southwest Turkey have to deal with. Time and again sparks jump over to new terrain. The mountainous area in Mugla Province, for example, is difficult to reach from land for emergency services.
Overall, however, the situation in Turkey has calmed down somewhat. Most of the fires have now been contained.
Fires in Turkey: Five Turkish TV channels of fines
Five Turkish TV channels face a fine for reporting on the fires. On Wednesday, the broadcasting authority (RTÜK) will vote on a fine for critical contributions to the fire, reports Ilhan Tasci, representative of the opposition party CHP in the authority, on Twitter.
The majority in this body is made up of the Islamic-conservative ruling party AKP and its ultra-nationalist partner MHP. RTÜK had warned broadcasters from the start about reports that could spread fear in relation to the fires. (lz / dpa)
Rubriklistenbild: © Petros Karadjias/AP/dpa
