Beachgoers on Greek island watch wildfire burn after intense heatwave
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BBC News
3 hours ago
- BBC News
Greece wildfires: mass evacuations as blaze rages near Ierapetra, Crete
A major wildfire in Greece continues to burn out of control in eastern Crete, after breaking out on Wednesday afternoon in rugged forested terrain near the municipality of by gale-force winds reaching up to eight on the Beaufort scale, the flames have spread rapidly southward, threatening homes, tourist accommodation, and critical infrastructure, including a fuel fire front now extends over at least 6km, according to emergency services, making containment increasingly smoke engulfed the wider area, reducing visibility to near zero in places. The smoke stretched as far as Makry Gialos beach, 10km from Achlia in Lasithi where firefighters were battling the blaze. The main road near the settlement of Agia Fotia has been closed by police, who have urged residents and visitors to avoid all non-essential travel due to hazardous air quality, extreme heat, and falling ash. In the settlement of Agia Fotia, homes and rental properties have been destroyed, and the area is experiencing a power outage, according to local reports. At least four elderly people have been taken to hospital with respiratory problems caused by smoke a precaution, all hospitals in Crete have been placed on alert by health have also ordered the mass evacuation of hotels, rental rooms and homes in the Ferma municipality, as the flames approach the area. The operation is underway with the support of the fire service, police and local far, approximately 1,500 people have been evacuated from surrounding settlements and tourist areas and moved to Ierapetra. Around 200 evacuees are being sheltered in the town's indoor sports arena. The firefighting response has been significantly reinforced. As of Wednesday night, 155 firefighters, eight specialised foot teams, and 38 fire engines are operating on the ground. Four helicopters carried out water drops until nightfall. Local municipalities have also deployed water tankers and heavy forces are en route. Seventeen firefighters and one foot team from the 1st EMODE (Special Forest Firefighting Unit) are travelling by ferry from Piraeus, along with five fire engines, while 33 firefighters and four additional EMODE teams are due to arrive by air from to public broadcaster ERT, the fire service has ordered a tactical withdrawal from the fire front to protect personnel and prioritise the creation of firebreaks around at-risk settlements. Crews are expected to remain on the ground throughout the alerts via the 112 public warning system were issued throughout the day, calling for evacuations from Achlia, Ferma, Agia Fotia, Galini, and later Koutsounari, instructing residents and tourists to move towards individuals who were cut off by road were reportedly evacuated by boat from local fire, believed to have started between Agia Fotia and the village of Skinokapsala, continues to burn through dense, highly flammable forest, with steep terrain, dry conditions and strong winds making containment extremely this week in Turkey more than 50,000 people were evacuated due to wildfires in the western province of least six heat-related deaths have been reported in Europe as the continent reels under an early summer heatwave. The latest recorded fatalities were in Spain and Italy. There were also casualties in France.
The Guardian
4 hours ago
- The Guardian
More than 80% of UK farmers worried about climate crisis harming livelihood, study finds
More than 80% of UK farmers are worried that the 'devastating' effect of the climate crisis could damage their ability to make a living, a study has found. Farmers have warned that global heating risks Britain's supplies of home-grown food amid wild swings in weather conditions, in new research carried out by the Energy and Climate Intelligence Unit (ECIU). The study found that 87% of farmers have experienced reduced productivity in the face of recent extreme weather, 84% had suffered a fall in crop yields, and more than three-quarters had taken a hit to their income. The survey of 300 UK farmers found that, in the past five years, 78% of farmers had been hit by drought and more than half had suffered the consequences of heatwaves. In stark contrast, just 2% of farmers had not experienced extreme weather in some form. It comes as Britain's largest retailers warned that food prices have been pushed up by hot weather hitting harvest yields. The British Retail Consortium trade body, representing more than 200 large UK retailers, has drawn a direct link between the climate crisis and prices for consumers. Tom Lancaster, an analyst at the ECIU, said: 'Farmers are on the frontline of climate change and this research reveals what impact that is having on them and their businesses.' A recent study found that income from UK arable crops fell by more than £1bn last year, which was one of the worst in decades. Fears are now growing for the 2025 harvest after the warmest – and one of the driest – springs on record. Anthony Curwen, an arable farmer from Kent, said: 'It's getting increasingly difficult to farm given the impacts we're now seeing with climate change. We've gone from extreme drought to biblical floods and back to drought in the space of just a few years. It's devastating and many of us in farming now fear for a sustainable future.' Sign up to Business Today Get set for the working day – we'll point you to all the business news and analysis you need every morning after newsletter promotion The government is facing pressure to offer greater support for farmers to adapt to the climate crisis. Nearly 60% of farmers have cited the need for greater long-term certainty in the design of green farming schemes across the UK. Curwen added: 'What we need most now from government is a bit of stability and some better support to help us become resilient to these impacts. In an era when the climate is giving us a kicking, we need government to have our back, not add to the uncertainty.'
The Independent
9 hours ago
- The Independent
Sarina Wiegman wants her England players to keep their cool in tournament opener
England head coach Sarina Wiegman revealed the Lionesses are sipping slushies and being encouraged not to 'go in and out all the time' to cope with the heatwave hitting Women's European Championship hosts Switzerland. Temperatures soared to 34 degrees on Wednesday in Zurich, where defending champions England are preparing to face France in their tournament opener on Saturday, when the mercury is still expected to hit about 27 degrees at the 8pm UK kick-off time. And while England have pulled out all the stops to ensure their players are navigating the blazing conditions, Wiegman insists she will not 'think of managing the heat' when it comes to her substitutions. She said: 'Of course we have protocols in place, strategies, which players who have been around longer are familiar with that because they've played in circumstances like this – for other players, they get to for the first time. 'We could already practice it in the first week of our training camp because in England it was really hot too, so we have these cold vests, we have [an] ice box, ice drinks they can drink before training session they could also cool down a bit, get your temperature a little bit lower with slushies. 'We have ice cold towels at the rest moment in the training sessions, they get the towels if they want to. So we make sure we are hydrated. Take another rest, don't go in and out all the time, for recovery, and do those things to keep your body temperature low.' Wiegman added: 'It's really nice to have the support from the federation too, if you see now the training pitch, all the things we need to do, the gym, the strategies we have to cool down, we have ice, we have cryo, all the things that help getting prepared for the tournament so it's not just one thing.' The Lionesses are looking to secure their second major trophy after lifting their first on home soil three summers ago. Come Saturday, Wiegman – who will be gunning for a third straight European trophy, having also lifted it as Netherlands boss in 2017 – says her focus will be far away from the weather. She added: 'What we do now is get prepared for Saturday, for France and we're going to do everything to win that game, when we sub we do it because it's necessary to change the game or to sub someone who gave everything that needs to go out. 'I will not think of managing the heat at that point – after that game, we recover and then we come together as a team with the medical, technical, how does everyone come out of this game and then we move forward to the next game against the Netherlands.'
