A scorching heat lies over the south of Europe. It favors forest fires in France, Greece and Portugal. In the latter country, the fires in the six and a half months of this year have already claimed 35 percent more area than in the whole of last year. Now the heat is creeping north.
Whale fires are raging in numerous European countries: firefighters and emergency services are fighting the fires in Portugal, France and Greece, as well as in South Tyrol and on Lake Garda. Portugal have had umpteen fires under control for a week. At the weekend, 13 larger and dozens of smaller fires raged in the popular holiday destination, according to civil defense. However, tourist and larger residential areas were not in danger.
Portugal: massive loss of space
A drought and scorching heat that has lasted for many months favors the fires in Portugal. According to the ICNF, the area destroyed by forest fires in six and a half months this year has increased to 38,600 hectares. That is 35 percent more than in the whole of the previous year (28,415). For comparison: On average, only a good 20,000 hectares were destroyed by forest fires in Portugal in the past ten years up to July 15.
Meanwhile, the residents of Portugal and the many tourists from Germany and other countries who are vacationing in the country these days continue to groan under the unusual heat. On Wednesday, Pinhão in the Viseu district in the north of the country measured 47 degrees, the highest temperature ever recorded on mainland Portugal in July, according to the Institute for the Sea and Atmosphere (IPMA). The exact value has yet to be confirmed.
Greece: Fires are approaching Crete and Athens
In Greece, 108 forest fires have been counted within 24 hours. As the fire brigade further announced on Twitter, a particularly large fire south of the Cretan port of Rhethymno could not be brought under control by noon due to the strong wind. 16 fire-fighting planes and three helicopters were deployed, and the town of Orne was evacuated as a precaution.
There was also a fire southeast of Athens in the morning. The residents of the Feriza settlement were advised by SMS warning to leave the area for the time being. However, the firefighters were able to contain the fire by the early afternoon. For Saturday, the authorities for a number of regions again called the second highest forest fire warning level. The areas affected include the Athens area, the islands of Crete, Euboea, Lesbos and Samos and the north-east of the Peloponnese peninsula.
France: Two huge fires are spreading
The two large forest fires on the southern French Atlantic coast have continued to spread. Last night, emergency services evacuated three communities near Landiras, south of Bordeaux. As the Gironde prefecture announced, 480 people were brought to safety. More than 7,000 hectares of land have now fallen victim to the flames in the area and near Teste-de-Buch further along the coast. According to the prefecture, three houses and two restaurants were destroyed. The situation is still unfavorable.
In the Rhone Valley further east, the fire brigade brought a forest fire that had been raging since Thursday afternoon under control during the night. However, access to the area is difficult. The extinguishing work continued on Friday.
Italy: Fires in South Tyrol and Lake Garda
The fire brigade in South Tyrol fought a major fire in the hiking area near Frauwaal during the night. Around 150 firefighters were deployed, the fire brigade announced in the morning. The teams were able to contain the fire after several hours. A helicopter also assisted in the extinguishing work. Videos and photos showed the flames eating up a wooded hillside and thick smoke billowing into the night sky.
On the northern part of Lake Garda, which is popular with German tourists, numerous fires have been occupying the authorities since Sunday. The fires near the municipality of Nago Torbole flared up again, said a spokesman for the Autonomous Province of Trento when asked.
Heat coming north
Scorching temperatures of around or over 40 degrees, which favor forest fires, are not only a problem in many regions of southern Europe. According to the German Weather Service (DWD), it will also come to Germany next week. And even in Britain, which is often described as cool and rainy, the responsible Met Office has issued a warning against such extreme temperatures for the first time in its history. The warning applies to a large area between London, Manchester and the York Valley. The British heat record is 38.7 degrees Celsius - measured on July 25, 2019 in the Botanic Gardens of the University of Cambridge. Meteorologists expect that this value will be exceeded.
