Evacuations as wildfires rage in Greece, Spain

RTÉ News​

3 days ago

Thousands of people have been evacuated as wildfires continue to rage across parts of Greece and Spain, as high temperatures and strong winds create difficult conditions for firefighters.
Firefighters battled to contain a wildfire menacing Greece's third-largest city Patras, one of over 20 blazes that have forced the country to appeal for EU help.
Fierce winds and dry conditions have fuelled fires across the country in a week where a heatwave has baked southern Europe, with Spain, Portugal, Montenegro and Albania also fighting blazes.
Since dawn, 4,850 firefighters and 33 planes were mobilised across Greece, fire service spokesman Vassilis Vathrakogiannis said.
Greece was faced with "a very difficult day", with 15 firefighters taken to hospital after battling fires on various fronts, he added.
The situation improved outside Patras but a new fire near the ancient archaeological site of Voudeni threatened forested zones and homes, and the area is covered by a thick cloud of smoke.
In the western Achaia region in the Peloponnese, to which the coastal city of Patras belongs, around 20 villages have been evacuated.
"The catastrophe is very big," the mayor of West Achaia, Grigoris Alexopoulos, told Greek news agency ANA.
Other fronts were burning on the popular tourist island of Zante and the Aegean island of Chios, scarred by a huge wildfire in June that ravaged more than 4,000 hectares.
The Greek coastguard said it had helped evacuate nearly 80 people from Chios and near Patras.
Temperatures are due to come close to 40 degrees Celsius in parts of western Greece, including the northwest Peloponnese, national weather service EMY forecast.
Greece has requested four water bombers from the EU Civil Protection Mechanism to bolster its resources.
Yesterday, "82 fires broke out, a very high number which, combined with violent winds, drought and high temperatures, has created huge difficulties in the extinction efforts", he added.
Winds reaching up to 88km/h per hour have lashed the country since last week, fanning a wildfire south of Athens in which one person died.
More than 22,000 hectares have burned in Greece this year, according to the European Forest Fire Information System.
Volunteer firefighter dies as wildfires rage across heat-stricken Spain
In Spain, a firefighting volunteer died from severe burns, while several people were hospitalised as dozens of wildfires fuelled by strong winds and scorching heat continued to rage across the country.
At least six large wildfires were still out of control, according to regional emergency services.
The victim, a 35-year old volunteer, had been attempting to create firebreaks near the town of Nogarejas, in the north-central Castile and Leon region, when he became trapped in the blaze, regional officials said.
The fire had two active fronts that were still out of control, as weather services forecast another day of strong winds and electric storms.
Over 5,000 people have been evacuated in the region, which is Spain's largest, and efforts were being concentrated on preventing the flames from reaching smaller towns.
Environment Minister Sara Aagesen told SER radio station that many fires across the country were suspected to be intentionally caused by arsonists due to their "virulence", but that it was too early to quantify these.
On Monday, another fire had killed a man working at a horse stable on the outskirts of the Spanish capital Madrid and reached some houses and farms before it was contained.
Northwestern Galicia's regional leader Alfonso Rueda said the situation there was "complicated" and that the weather "isn't helping", as six active fires affected a combined 10,000 hectares in Ourense province.