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Telegraph
3 days ago
- Climate
- Telegraph
Wildfires loom over Naples and Athens
Homes have been destroyed and residents evacuated after wildfires tore through Greece and Italy. An elderly man died in fires around Keratea, a town 27 miles south-east of Athens, with 260 firefighters deployed to tackle the blaze. Dozens of people were forced to abandon their homes along with residents and staff at a care home in the nearby coastal resort of Palea Fokea. Nearly 80 fire engines, 11 water bombers, and seven helicopters were used to subdue the fire that tore its way through 10,000 acres of brush and forest. Dimitris Loukas, the mayor of the nearest city of Lavrio, said: 'Many homes were destroyed, in addition to other properties, agricultural and forest land.' The National Observatory in Athens said the high winds will persist until at least Monday. On Friday, gale-force winds caused the deaths of two Vietnamese tourists – a 61-year-old woman and 65-year-old man, – who fell into the sea at Sarakiniko beach on the Cycladic island of Milos, while tens of thousands of holidaymakers had their travel plans disrupted because of the turbulent sea conditions. Wildfires also broke out on the slopes of Mount Vesuvius near Naples, where firefighters had to abandon their efforts to combat the blaze because of safety reasons, the president of the Vesuvius National Park said. Raffaele De Luca said: 'We are following every update in constant contact with the relevant authorities. Our gratitude goes to those who are working tirelessly to protect our natural heritage and ensure the safety of those who live nearby.' The towns nestled along the base of the active volcano, Ercolano and Torre del Greco, were shrouded in thick smoke, prompting evacuations and health warnings. In Turkey, meteorologists recorded its hottest July in 55 years and wildfires forced the temporary closure of the Dardanelles Strait. The highest-ever recorded temperature of 50.5 C was set in Silopi, a city in the Simak province around 10 kilometres from the Iraq and Syrian borders. It shattered the previous national high of 49.5 C recorded in August 2023 in the western province of Eskisehir. Temperatures recorded in 66 of the country's 220 weather stations showed an average rise of 1.9 degrees over the preceding years. Fourteen people died in July in the western part of the country. Hundreds of others were evacuated on Friday in the north-west province of Canakkale, where the Dardanelles Strait was closed to maritime traffic due to two raging fires. The heatwave has also prompted fears of water shortages in some areas. The resort town of Cesme on the Aegean Sea has restricted tap water for residents and tourists between 11:00 pm to 6:00 am since July 25. In France, firefighters finally managed to contain the country's biggest wildfire in at least half a century. The fire near the Mediterranean coast ravaged a vast area of the southern Aude department at the peak of the summer tourist season, killing one person and injuring several others. 'The fire is contained but ... until Sunday evening the fire will not be under control,' said Christophe Magny, chief of the region's firefighter unit. Authorities warned that Sunday's forecasted hot, dry winds – similar to those when the fire began – and a heatwave alert, with temperatures around 40 degrees Celsius, would keep the some 1,400 firefighters mobilised on high alert. 'The firefighters will do their utmost before the return of the tramontane' this weekend, the president of the Aude departmental council, Hélène Sandragné, said referring to a northerly wind that regularly blows through the area. The blaze – the largest in at least 50 years – tore through 16,000 hectares of vegetation, disaster officials said, revising an earlier estimate of 17,000 hectares.
Daily Mail
3 days ago
- Climate
- Daily Mail
Deadly Greek wildfire is battled by firefighters as strong winds raise spectre it could spread and could widespread devastation
Hundreds of firefighters battled a deadly wildfire near Athens for a second day on Saturday, with strong winds raising fears it could spread. A fire department spokesman said more than 260 firefighters with nearly 80 fire engines and 12 aircraft were deployed near Keratea, a rural area some 27 miles southeast of Athens. 'The fire has weakened but there are still active pockets,' the spokesman told AFP. A new fire broke out close to the nearby town of Kouvaras on Saturday but was quickly brought under control. Dimitris Loukas, mayor of the nearest city of Lavrio, said the Keratea fire that broke out Friday had devastated nearly 10,000 acres of brush and forest. 'Many homes were destroyed, in addition to other properties, agricultural and forest land,' he told state news agency ANA. The National Observatory in Athens on Saturday said the high winds will persist until at least Monday. Firefighters and police evacuated dozens of people late Friday from homes and an elderly care centre as the flames neared the coastal resort of Palaia Fokaia. Firefighters later found the remains of an elderly man in a hut near Keratea. He died in his bed, Loukas said. In the municipality of Palaia Fokaia, an hour's drive south of Athens, a typical bucolic Greek landscape of olive groves and hamlets was transformed by the raging Friday wildfire into a dystopia of blackened land and incinerated homes. A howling wind ripped through the settlement on Saturday, spread dust and the bitter smell of ash coming from the surrounding hills, where fires and smouldering embers continued to burn. At one gutted home - its caved-in roof nothing more than a tangle of warped metal - mask-wearing residents returned to retrieve whatever belongings survived the inferno. A despondent woman named Dimitria was more fortunate: the flames spared her home but razed the nearest forest, leaving it a desolate terrain of roasted trees and ash. 'From yesterday night, there were very few reinforcements from the fire brigade,' she lamented, describing how help arrived after the advancing fire threatened 'many houses' near the forest. 'My house is OK, but my forest is burned. And that is the pity,' she said with a trembling voice, her eyes welling up as she left to survey the damage. Firefighters with hoses combed through a copse of trees to douse any embers and prevent reactivations, scorched twigs and debris crunching under their boots. Gale-force winds on Friday also caused the deaths of two Vietnamese tourists who fell into the sea at Sarakiniko beach on the Cycladic island of Milos. The 61-year-old woman and 65-year-old man were on a cruise ship group visiting the lunar-like, volcanic rock beach, the coastguard said. A coastguard spokeswoman told AFP the woman had fallen into the water, and the man had tried to help her. Greece's national weather service EMY said winds of up to 46 miles an hour were forecast for Saturday. The weather on Friday disrupted ferry travel for tens of thousands of summer holidaymakers. A sailing ban on Athens ports was lifted Saturday. On Friday, wildfires also hit Italy's Mount Vesuvius, as deadly blazes continued to sweep through Europe amid a scorching heatwave. Dramatic footage shows flames engulfing the volcano in Naples as firefighters battle to control them. The blaze broke out on Friday afternoon, and firefighting teams both on the ground and in the air rushed to the scene. But, as the sun set, the operation was temporarily suspended for safety reasons. Raffaele De Luca, president of the Vesuvius National Park, expressed his deep concern about the fire's progress. 'We are following every update in constant contact with the relevant authorities. 'Our gratitude goes to those who are working tirelessly to protect our natural heritage and ensure the safety of those who live nearby.' The devastating wildfires have also struck Turkey, Greece, and France - triggered by hotter and drier conditions. It also comes after 1,500 tourists and locals were evacuated in Spain as a dramatic forest fire near a beach resort caused chaos in Tarifa, often branded a 'surfer's paradise' due to its extremely wide beaches and tall waves. According to the local police, the fire started in a motorhome at the Torre la Peña campsite, which also had to be evacuated. The flames then blew westward, away from the campsite, and spread rapidly through a hilly and grassland area where homes and tourist establishments are scattered - including the Wawa Hotel, which is reported to have been affected by the fire. Several beach bars and 'chiringuitos' were also evacuated due to the large amounts of ash being carried down to the shore.
Yahoo
3 days ago
- Climate
- Yahoo
Firefighters battle blaze near Athens for second day
Hundreds of firefighters battled a deadly wildfire near Athens for a second day Saturday, with strong winds raising fears it could spread. A fire department spokesman said more than 260 firefighters with nearly 80 fire engines and 12 aircraft were deployed near Keratea, a rural area some 43 kilometres (27 miles) southeast of Athens. "The fire has weakened but there are still active pockets," the spokesman told AFP. A new fire broke out close to the nearby town of Kouvaras on Saturday but was quickly brought under control. Dimitris Loukas, mayor of the nearest city of Lavrio, said the Keratea fire that broke out Friday had devastated nearly 10,000 acres of brush and forest. "Many homes were destroyed, in addition to other properties, agricultural and forest land," he told state news agency ANA. The National Observatory in Athens on Saturday said the high winds will persist until at least Monday. Firefighters and police evacuated dozens of people late Friday from homes and an elderly care centre as the flames neared the coastal resort of Palaia Fokaia. Firefighters later found the remains of an elderly man in a hut near Keratea. He died in his bed, Loukas said. Gale-force winds on Friday also caused the deaths of two Vietnamese tourists who fell into the sea at Sarakiniko beach on the Cycladic island of Milos. The 61-year-old woman and 65-year-old man were on a cruise ship group visiting the lunar-like, volcanic rock beach, the coastguard said. A coastguard spokeswoman told AFP the woman had fallen into the water, and the man had tried to help her. Greece's national weather service EMY said winds of up to 74 kilometres (46 miles) an hour were forecast for Saturday. The weather on Friday disrupted ferry travel for tens of thousands of summer holidaymakers. A sailing ban on Athens ports was lifted Saturday. Two dead as Greece battles growing wildfire front 'We knew it was dangerous' In the municipality of Palaia Fokaia, an hour's drive south of Athens, a typical bucolic Greek landscape of olive groves and hamlets was also transformed by a raging Friday wildfire into a dystopia of blackened land and incinerated homes. Observing them from his unscathed house was a relieved Kostas Triadis. Despite the damage dealt to the landscape, he hailed the work of firemen and volunteers, "otherwise it would be very bad." "It is regenerated by itself, I hope it will be the natural future," the 75-year-old added, referring to the devastated vegetation. "It is a very good, small forest, we always knew it was dangerous." His wife Eleni, 71, added that "everybody did their utmost to save the area, but the real tragedy is that the forest is lost. It was very old." But she pointed to the many trees that were relatively unharmed because the fire burned itself out quickly in the short grass that residents had cut in June. "It's a tragedy, it's the first time the fire has come here," she said of the area, where the couple spend the summer months away from their Athens residence. A short distance away on the coast, the contrast could not be starker: beachgoers ambled on the sand and swam in the shimmering Mediterranean on a seemingly normal balmy summer morning. But the signs of the emergency were unmistakeable as beachside diners were greeted with the spectacle of water bombers skimming the water to refill and return to the raging fires. (AFP)
The Independent
10-07-2025
- The Independent
Photos show migrants intercepted near Crete arrive at the Greek port of Lavrio from Libya
News Photos show migrants intercepted near Crete arrive at the Greek port of Lavrio from Libya Show all 9
Associated Press
10-07-2025
- Associated Press
Photos show migrants intercepted near Crete arrive at the Greek port of Lavrio from Libya
LAVRIO, Greece (AP) — More than 500 migrants arrived at the port of Lavrio near Athens on Thursday after being intercepted south of the island of Crete, after a surge of arrivals from Libya. This is a photo gallery curated by AP photo editors.
