Temperatures of up to 46 degrees and destructive forest fires: holiday countries on the Mediterranean suffer badly from the hot summer heat. There is already talk of a “historic heat wave”.
Catania / Istanbul / Athens – Violent forest fires and constant heat of 40 degrees and more continue to make problems for the southern holiday countries Greece, Italy and Turkey.
In Italy, the fire brigades had more than 800 missions in the fight against blazing forest fires within 24 hours, as the fire brigade announced on Saturday morning via Twitter. Turkish forces also fought massive forest fires in the country for the fourth day in a row. Greece expects temperatures of up to 46 degrees, meteorologists see a “historic heat wave”.
In Sicily alone, the rescuers deployed 250 times. In the east of the popular holiday island, it burned on Friday at the gates of the coastal city of Catania. Thick smoke drifted over numerous apartment buildings. Catania Airport had to temporarily cease operations. According to the Coast Guard, the authorities brought about 170 people from the Catania area to safety, who were trapped in the flames and who fled to the beach. The coast guard took them there on their boats. Pictures from the civil protection authority of Sicily showed how flames raged in a holiday complex on the beach near Catania and helicopters with extinguishing water tanks flew over them.
Sicily’s regional president Nello Musumeci wrote on Facebook of “devastation” as a result of high temperatures. According to him, investigators discovered that arsonists were behind some of the fires. These cause irreversible damage to the forest’s heritage and put people in danger. According to Musumeci, the heat wave in Sicily should last until August 6th. According to his own statements, he wrote to Prime Minister Mario Draghi so that further support for national disaster control could be sent to Sicily. In other parts of Italy, the fire brigade has also been called to numerous forest fire operations. On the holiday island of Sardinia, flames recently caused great damage in the west.
Turkish regions declared disaster areas
In Turkey, ten fires are still active, including three in the popular holiday region of Antalya, Forest Minister Bekir Pakdemirli announced on Twitter on Saturday. Of the total of 98 fires that broke out in numerous provinces since Wednesday, 88 are under control. The fires raged particularly badly on the Turkish Mediterranean coast. There, regions in five provinces were declared disaster areas. Strong winds made it difficult to extinguish the fire. Many regions and hotels had been evacuated, and tourists were also brought to safety by boat.
According to official information, the fires in Turkey have so far claimed five lives. The media had meanwhile reported six deaths. The cause is still unclear. Turkish authorities are investigating in all directions and are not ruling out arson. President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said in Antalya that possible arsonists would be severely punished. On the Turkish Mediterranean and Aegean coasts, intense heat of more than 40 degrees is expected in the next few days.
Up to 46 degrees in Greece
Greece is also being hit by a severe heat wave. According to weather experts, the thermometers should show up to 46 degrees during the day on the weekend and the whole of the coming week. Also on Rhodes it should be hot next Tuesday with temperatures around 44 degrees. At night it stays hot, especially in the metropolitan areas, with temperatures above 30 degrees. Some meteorologists have already spoken of a “historic heat wave” on the radio.
The Greek civil defense was put on alert after an emergency meeting. Additional air-conditioned tents and containers were made available in the registration camps for migrants on the islands in the east of the Aegean. The cities opened air-conditioned halls for residents who do not have air conditioning at home. Working outdoors should be reduced as much as possible, the Ministry of Labor said. It was not clear on Saturday when the heat wave would subside. Some meteorologists feared this dangerous situation could last for up to two weeks.
Germany: “Ferdinand” brings inconsistent weather
While the eastern Mediterranean is plagued by extreme heat, it remains unstable and comparatively cool in Germany, according to the German Weather Service (DWD). The temperatures barely come above 25 degrees. The reason for the inconsistent weather is low “Ferdinand”. It moves from the North Sea to the Baltic States and brings cool sea air to Germany. In contrast, the foothills of the south-eastern Mediterranean region bring record-breaking temperatures, as they allow hot air to flow directly from Africa to Italy, Greece and Turkey. “It would be good for us if the low lay over Iceland – then we would get slightly higher temperatures,” said a DWD meteorologist on Saturday. dpa
