In Algeria soldiers die fighting the flames, on the Greek peninsula of Peloponnese the situation is getting worse.
Athens / Catania / Algiers – The fires in the Mediterranean area remain extremely dangerous: 42 people were killed in fires in Algeria. Among them were 25 soldiers, Prime Minister Ayman Ben Abdel Rahman said on television in the evening.
They died during rescue operations in the affected areas, said President Abdelmadjid Tebboune on Twitter. But they managed to free more than 100 people from the flames. The fires raged in the regions of Tizi Ouzou and Bejaia east of the capital Algiers.
Greece: fires out of control
The forest fires got out of control again on the Greek Peloponnese peninsula. In the evening, the fire front in the municipality of Gortynia in the west was around ten kilometers long, the Greek media reported. So far, 19 villages have been evacuated by emergency SMS, and houses burned in the town of Pirris. The emergency services were constantly reinforced during the night to form a barrier to the north so that the flames could not work their way further towards the prefecture of Ilia, where ancient Olympia is also located. Wind made the extinguishing work difficult.
In the evening, the Greek fire brigade reported 54 new forest fires within the previous 24 hours. The situation also remained tense on the second largest island of Evia. In many cases, the firefighters are international helpers. For today, the weather service predicts several hours of rain in some places.
Germany sends fire fighters
German fire fighters from Hesse and North Rhine-Westphalia are on their way to Greece, as the German Fire Brigade Association announced. They are supposed to help there as part of the European Union’s civil protection procedure. According to the association, there are 168 emergency services from Hesse and 56 from North Rhine-Westphalia.
Many parts of Italy are expecting an increased risk of forest fires again today. A heat wave with temperatures well over 40 degrees Celsius is expected, especially in the south and on the large holiday islands of Sicily and Sardinia. Coupled with the drought and winds, this should further increase the risk of fire.
The civil protection authority of Sicily classified the entire island in the highest fire risk category for today. Heat warnings also apply to the provinces around the cities of Palermo and Catania. Regional President Nello Musumeci announced that evening that he would ask the government in Rome today to declare a national emergency. Sicily had already declared a state of crisis and was able to help damaged farmers more quickly, for example.
Turkey: the situation calms down
In the south-west of Turkey, strong winds, drought and heat of more than 40 degrees make it difficult to extinguish the fire. Sparks continue to jump over to other areas. The forested and mountainous area in Mugla Province is difficult for emergency services to reach from land. Overall, however, the situation in Turkey has calmed down. Most of the fires have now been contained.
Meanwhile, five Turkish television stations face fines for reporting the fires. The broadcasting authority (RTÜK) will vote today on a fine for critical contributions to the fire, wrote Ilhan Tasci, who represents the opposition party CHP in the authority, on Twitter. The Islamic conservative ruling party AKP and its ultra-nationalist partner MHP have a majority in the body. RTÜK had previously warned broadcasters about reports that could spread fear in connection with the fires. dpa
