Parts of Athens evacuated after more than 50 wildfires in 24 hours
Parts of Athens have been evacuated after more than 50 wildfires broke out in 24 hours, fuelled by dry conditions, high winds and extreme temperatures.
People living in the suburb of Kryoneri, around 12.5 miles (20 km) northeast of the Greek capital, were told to move to safe areas on Saturday.
At least five people, most of them elderly with respiratory problems, have been treated in hospital for burns or smoke inhalation.
Almost 150 firefighters are battling the blaze, backed up by 44 fire engines, 10 firefighting planes and seven helicopters.
Greece has asked for six firefighting planes from the European Union's Civil Protection Mechanism to help fight the 52 wildfires raging this weekend, fire service spokesman Vassilis Vathrakoyannis said.
Photos showed houses and tree-covered hills on fire as temperatures hit 38C (100F) - with warnings they could climb to 44C (111F) - and dry conditions and high winds fanned the flames.
Mr Vathrakoyannis said that under such conditions wildfires "expand very quickly and become dangerous", adding: "These conditions are expected to prevail over the coming days."
There have been reports of damage, he said, and authorities "will take stock when the fires have been put out".
At least 335 firefighters are battling three major fires in the southwest on Greece's two largest islands - Crete in the south and Evia north of Athens - and also on the island of Kythera, northwest of Crete.
Helping in the effort to extinguish them are 19 planes and 13 helicopters, but they can only operate in daylight, the spokesman said.
Wildfires, many of them destructive, have become a common occurrence in Greece in recent years and several have broken out in the past month.
In neighbouring Albania, 26 fires broke out throughout the country on Saturday, following a large fire near the southern Albanian town of Delvina on Friday, which injured three people and forced the evacuation of about 2,000 residents.
In Kosovo, firefighters managed to extinguish 17 blazes fuelled by strong winds while 12 others remained active, officials said.
Eight cows were killed in the southern town of Prizren, after a fire engulfed a farm, local emergency services said while 40 sheep died in a fire in the east of the country.
In Turkey, the country's fourth-largest city, Bursa, was threatened by wildfires that have been burning for weeks, local officials said on Sunday.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
STV News
6 hours ago
- STV News
Spain and Portugal battle wave of wildfires as temperatures expected to rise
Thousands of firefighters in Spain and Portugal are battling an ongoing wave of wildfires, some of which have been burning for days as temperatures are expected to rise in the Iberian Peninsula. In central Spain, firefighters and a special military unit worked overnight to control blazes in the province of Avila, focusing on confining a fire burning near the village of El Arenal, about 100km (62 miles) west of Madrid, emergency services said. In the western province of Caceres, local authorities said firefighters had largely stabilised a fire that affected some 2,500 hectares (roughly 6,178 acres). Most evacuation orders had been lifted, authorities said. In Portugal, more than 2,000 firefighters were battling blazes across the country, particularly in the north. Much of Spain and Portugal is under a high risk of wildfires and temperatures are expected to rise over the weekend. Spain's meteorology service AEMET predicted that temperatures in central and southern Spain could exceed 40C by Sunday. In Portugal, temperatures are expected to rise on Saturday into the upper 30Cs across most of the country. Despite record-high temperatures exceeding 40C in the region in June, wildfires in Spain this year have so far burned less surface area than in previous years. Europe is the world's fastest-warming continent, with temperatures increasing at twice the speed as the global average since the 1980s, according to the European Union's Copernicus Climate Change Service. Scientists warn that climate change is exacerbating the frequency and intensity of heat and dryness, especially in south-eastern Europe, making the region more vulnerable to wildfires. The burning of fuels such as gasoline, oil and coal, plus deforestation, wildfires and many kinds of factories release heat-trapping gasses that cause climate change. Human activities often trigger wildfires. On Thursday, Albanian authorities said 21 people were taken into custody for suspected arson over the past few weeks, when the country was battling 59 major wildfires that damaged 29,000 hectares (71,660 acres) of land. Albania's interior minister Arsen Hoxha said most of the wildfires, which were extinguished by rain, had been started by humans. Get all the latest news from around the country Follow STV News Scan the QR code on your mobile device for all the latest news from around the country
The Guardian
8 hours ago
- The Guardian
Weather tracker: deadly floods devastate northern China
At least 70 people have died in northern China after another bout of torrential rain triggered flooding, the latest in a series of extreme rainfall events in recent months. Between 23 and 29 July, Beijing and its surrounding areas recorded an average of 166mm, equivalent to the monthly norm. The suburban district of Miyun received the highest amount of rainfall, with 543mm recorded, equivalent to the region's annual average. The death toll included 31 people in a Miyun care home, 10 who were swept away in a minibus in Shangxi province, and eight people in a landslide in the city of Chengde. Floods also damaged roads and vital infrastructure, cutting off more than 130 rural villages and leading to the evacuation of more than 80,000 people from their homes. The increasing frequency of high-rainfall events in China has been linked to rising global temperatures; each degree in warming enables the atmosphere to hold 7% more moisture. Meanwhile, Japan is braced for Tropical Storm Krosa on Friday, which is expected to skirt past the south-eastern Kanto region via the Izu islands. Although Krosa travelled towards Japan during its initial north-westerly path, a forecasted change to a more north-easterly direction means the system is likely to avoid a direct hit. However, its close proximity to the Chiba region is may bring 120-200mm of rain in 24 hours. This week, as much of Europe experiences below-average temperatures, parts of Scandinavia have been engulfed by unusually intense heat. Prolonged heatwave conditions swept the north of the continent in mid-July, driven by exceptionally high sea-surface temperatures off Norway's northern coast and a stubborn area of high pressure that brought sunny weather and sinking, compressing air. As a result, temperatures in Norway, Sweden and Finland rose 8-10C (46-40F) above seasonal norms and remained elevated for nearly two weeks. The Norwegian counties of Trøndelag and Nordland exceeded 30C for 13 consecutive days, including in Storforsheia, just north of the Arctic Circle. It was the warmest two-week period on record in several areas. In the past week, the heat has shifted north and east, easing across much of Norway and Sweden and pushing temperatures 10-15C above normal in Finland and north-western Russia. Temperatures in the upper 20s celsius are likely to persist for at least the next five days several hundred miles north of the Arctic Circle.
Daily Mail
10 hours ago
- Daily Mail
Moment giant fireball blows manhole open in middle of busy NYC street
An explosion in the middle of a busy New York City street blew a manhole into the air as terrified onlookers scrambled. Shocking video captured the moment an enormous fireball erupted on Central Avenue in Bushwick, Brooklyn about 5.21pm on Thursday afternoon. It is understood both the manhole and at least one nearby car went up in flames after the explosion. Firefighters were already on the scene responding to reports of elevated carbon monoxide levels. Multiple cars were traveling through the intersection at the time of the explosion, and several others were parked nearby. Screams erupted as witnesses fled the area and car alarms began to sound outside the Deli & Grill corner store. Several crews worked to get the fire under control as terrified locals watched on and the flames threatened to engulf further cars. The blaze got dangerously close to corner stores and a building as crews worked to extinguish the flames. No injuries were reported. It marked more travel chaos for New Yorkers after torrential downpours led to widespread flooding across the Northeast on Thursday. Hundreds of flights were canceled or delayed and vehicles traveling during rush hour were caught in the deluge. Photos and videos shared online showed cars along the Clearview Expressway in NYC submerged underwater as the rain started to fall. Another video from inside a city bus showed the rainwaters pouring into the vehicle. About 25 million Americans were under a state of emergency, with New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy declaring a statewide emergency. He also issued a flash flood watch for the entire state, home to nearly 10 million people. In New York, Governor Kathy Hochul issued a similar alert covering some of the state's most densely populated counties, approximately 15 million New Yorkers. The warning included all five boroughs of New York City.
