Latest news with #firebrigade
The Guardian
10 hours ago
- Climate
- The Guardian
Drone footage captures scale of wildfires in Turkey's Bursa province
Thousands have been forced to evacuate their homes as firefighters battled to contain wildfires in Turkey, fanned by strong winds and searing heat. More than 1,100 firefighters were deployed to tackle at least 76 blazes that broke out within 24 hours, as the country faces a wave of heat-driven infernos
Reuters
15 hours ago
- Climate
- Reuters
Firefighters battle blazes in Turkey, Greece and Albania
ATHENS, July 28 (Reuters) - Firefighters battled on Monday to put out wildfires in three separate provinces of Turkey, in Greece and near a tourist resort in Albania, stoked by strong winds after days of searing heat across the Mediterranean region. Smoke billowed over the mountainous Black Sea province of Karabuk, 200 kilometres (125 miles) north of the capital Ankara, as a wildfire which raged for a sixth day forced the evacuation of more than a dozen villages and burnt swathes of forests. In the northwestern province of Bursa, three firefighters were killed on Sunday when their vehicle crashed, Turkey's Forestry Ministry said on Monday. Crews fought two separate blazes there on Monday, following the evacuation of more than 3,600 people from settlements in the southern provinces of Mersin and Antalya. Turkey has suffered dozens of wildfires in recent weeks as temperatures have soared, and 10 firefighters were killed last week battling a blaze in the central Eskisehir province. Hot and dry summers are common in the Mediterranean region, but more intense heatwaves have contributed to destructive wildfires in recent years amid fast-rising temperatures across the globe. At least 44 wildfires broke out in Greece in the past 24 hours, the fire brigade said on Monday afternoon. On the southern Greek island of Kythera, strong winds rekindled a blaze burning since Saturday. In Athens, firefighters quickly contained a fire that broke out at the foot of Mount Hymettus, near a university campus and densely populated suburbs. In Albania, over 900 firefighters assisted by the army battled to control a wildfire before it reached the seaside city of Saranda and other tourist resorts in the south of the country on the Ionian coast. Some 13 people have been arrested for arson-related offences in the past three days, police said. Bulgaria, assisted by several European countries, deployed firefighting planes to help tame a large wildfire near the Bulgarian-Turkish border. So far, the flames have scorched about 16,000 acres in total. Two people have been detained by authorities investigating the cause of the fires, according to local media. Over the weekend, several villages in Greece were evacuated and five people were injured in separate wildfires. As Greece saw off its third summer heatwave on Monday, rainy weather in Serbia helped firefighters there bring more than 100 wildfires under control.
Daily Mail
a day ago
- Climate
- Daily Mail
Wildfires burn through the night in Eastern Europe as over 50 blazes in Greece alone sees families evacuated from their homes
Wildfires are burning through the night in Eastern Europe with more than 50 blazes in Greece alone forcing families to be evacuated from their homes. Chaos broke out across the country on Sunday as temperatures soared to 44C which, paired with dry conditions and strong winds, has been causing fires across the continent. Two houses became engulfed in flames in Drosopigi, a village near Athens, forcing residents to flee their homes. At least five locals were rushed to hospital to be treated for their burns and smoke inhalation following the terrifying blaze. More than 200 firefighters, helped out by water-bombing aircraft and helicopters, were still tackling the fire on Sunday morning. A total of five major blazes broke out across Greece on a sweltering day which saw authorities issue a fresh emergency alert urging locals in Pissona, on the island of Evia, to evacuate. Officials there confirmed that a second fire had got 'out of control', The Times reports, and was heading towards the town of Afrati at speed. The blaze caused a number of villages, including Pournos and Mistros, to have their electricity supply cut off thanks to ruined power lines and pylons. Six firefighters had to be rushed to hospital while 115 stayed on to tackle the blaze. Vassilis Vathrakogiannis, a spokesman for the fire brigade, said: 'Today is expected to be a difficult day with a very high risk of fire, almost throughout the territory.' He added that at least 52 new blazes had popped up in the preceding 24 hours, but insisted that the situation was getting better in some places. Crews continued to tackle fires on the islands of Crete and Kythira, as well as the Messinia region of the Peloponnese. In Chania, Crete, a huge fire caused damage to homes and a church. Meanwhile, teams on the tourist hotspot of Kythira attempted to extinguish a blaze which was said to have extended across half of the island, according to deputy mayor Giorgos Komninos. He added that homes, as well as natural habitats, had been destroyed. Near Athens's northern edge, a series of blazes had to be contained in the greater Attica region, with teams putting a stop to them by the end of the day. Amid the destruction, Greece has been forced into asking for emergency help via the EU Civil Protection Mechanism, in the form of six firefighting planes. In the meantime, support crews from Italy and the Czech Republic were expected to land in the country late on Sunday. Several regions remain under further fire threats, including the Ionian Islands, western Greece, the Peloponnese, central Greece, Attica, Epirus, western Macedonia (Florina, Kastoria, Kozani), eastern Macedonia and Thrace (Evros), Thessaly (Magnesia, Larisa, Trikala), the south Aegean (Rhodes) and Crete, officials confirmed. 'Apocalyptic' wildfires have been engulfing Southern Europe all weekend, with several holiday hotspots threatened by the blazes and residents forced to flee their homes. Fourteen people have been killed by the wild infernos in Turkey sparked by a record 50C heatwave, while blazes have also struck Montenegro and Albania. Smoke rose from charred tree branches near Montenegro's capital Podgorica on Sunday while huge flames could be seen dangerously close to city tower blocks. Meanwhile, fire tore through landscapes near Bulqiza, Albania, this weekend as emergency services desperately tried to tame the blaze. Twenty-six fires broke out throughout the country on Saturday, following a serious blaze near the southern Albanian town of Delvina on Friday, injuring three people and forcing the evacuation of around 2,000 locals. Overnight, flames obliterated the forested mountains surrounding Bursa city in northwest Turkey, shining a threatening red glow on the sky. It marked the latest city to be hit by deadly blazes this summer - as Cyprus also fell victim to aggressive wildfires amid unusually hot weather. The governor's office in Bursa said more than 1,760 people had been safely evacuated from villages to the northeast as around 2,000 firefighters battled the flames. The highway linking Bursa to the capital, Ankara, was closed off as surrounding forests burned. Orhan Saribal, an opposition parliamentarian for the province, likened the scene to 'an apocalypse'. Turkey has been hit by dozens of wildfires every day since late June - with Forestry Minister Ibrahim Yamukli revealing fire crews across the country approached 76 separate blazes on Saturday alone. The General Directorate of Meteorology said Turkey recorded its highest ever temperature - 50.5C (122.9F) - within the southeastern Sirnak province on Friday. The same day, homes and holiday properties burnt down in popular holiday hotspot Cyprus. A wide angle view shows smoke and flames rising as firefighting efforts continue after a forest fire, which was largely brought under control in the morning, reignites due to strong winds The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) updated its travel advice in response to the devastation on the island. Warning of 'active wildfires', the government highlighted the Paphos and Limassol districts as some of the affected areas, located in the south of Cyprus. It added: 'Transport and infrastructure (electricity, water) links in locations close to the fires may be affected whilst the authorities respond to the situation.' Though the FCDO noted the airports in Paphos and Larnaca are 'operating as normal'. 'If you are due to travel to an area that might be affected by wildfires, contact your travel operator or accommodation provider before you travel to check that it is not currently impacted. Make sure you have appropriate insurance,' the advice read. The Foreign Office also included recommendations for those in the area or affected by the wildfires. 'Be cautious if you are in or near an area affected by wildfires. You should follow the guidance of the emergency services,' it stated. 'Call the Cypriot Emergency services on 112 if you are in immediate danger. A firefighting helicopter operates in a burned area after a wildfire in the area of Kryoneri, in the suburbs of Athens, Greece, on Sunday Firefighters attempt to extinguish a wildfire as smoke and flames rise from a forested area in the Gursu district of Bursa early on Sunday The fires are being ignited by unusually high temperatures, alongside dry conditions and strong winds Smoke and flames rise from a forested area during the latest major wildfire in Turkey 'Contact your airline or travel operator, who can assist you with information relating travel back to the UK.' And on Saturday, British tourists were put on alert as Greece wildfires spread amid a 44C heatwave - as a blaze tore through the capital of Athens. The southern European country was first hit with the scorching temperatures on Monday and they have not relented throughout the week. After the mercury hit a blistering 44C high in Athens on Tuesday, a wildfire burned through a northern suburb of the capital on Friday. Shocking pictures showed homes ablaze while residents of the town of Kryoneri, 12.5miles northeast of Athens, received three SMS warnings to evacuate.
France 24
2 days ago
- Climate
- France 24
Greece gets EU help to battle disastrous wildfires
The fronts were raging Sunday morning in the Peloponnese area west of the capital, as well as on the islands of Evia and Kythera, with aircraft and helicopters resuming their work in several parts of the country at dawn. Forecasters predicted the strong winds that have fanned the flames would die down on Sunday in most areas, but warned that Kythera continued to face "worrying" windy conditions. Evacuation messages were sent to people on the island, which lies off the south-eastern tip of the Peloponnese, early on Sunday as the fire was raging unabated. "Houses, beehives, olive trees have been burnt," Giorgos Komninos, deputy mayor of Kythera, told local outlet ERT News. "A monastery is in direct danger right now," he said, adding that half of the island had been burnt. Dozens of firefighters supported by three helicopters and two aircraft were battling the Kythera blaze, which erupted Saturday morning and forced the evacuation of a popular tourist beach. Greece had requested help from EU allies and two Italian aircraft were expected Sunday, according to the fire brigade, with units from the Czech Republic already at work. Heatwave conditions Eleven regions of Greece still face a very high fire risk, according to officials. Firefighters are working in several areas of the Peloponnese and there were several flare-ups overnight on the island of Evia, near Athens, where the flames have laid waste to swathes of forest and killed thousands of farm animals. Further south on Crete, reports said fires that broke out on Saturday afternoon and destroyed four houses and a church and largely been contained. Greece has endured heatwave conditions for almost a week, with temperatures passing 40 degrees Celsius in many areas, though the heat is expected to die down from Monday. © 2025 AFP
Yahoo
3 days ago
- Climate
- Yahoo
Greece asks for EU help in battling wildfires
Greece on Saturday requested EU help to battle wildfires that have sprung up in different regions as a lengthy heatwave sent temperatures soaring above 45C and gusts fuelled flames. Winds were fanning fearsome blazes near Athens and other parts, including the Peloponnese peninsula that juts out west from the capital, and on the islands of Crete, Euboea and Kythera, fire brigade spokesman Vathrakogiannis said. "The hard part is ahead of us," he warned in a briefing to reporters. Several regions were under the highest level of alert -- Red Category 5 -- meaning an extreme risk of wildfires, due to the hot and dry conditions. In various regions, "in the last 24 hours alone, 52 fires erupted, of which 44 were immediately dealt with at the initial stage," the brigade spokesman said. Vathrakogiannis said Greece had requested European assistance through the RescEU mechanism, asking for six firefighting aircraft to bolster efforts to contain the fires. Firefighting units from the Czech Republic were already operating as part of European assistance, local media reports said. According to firefighters, one of the most difficult fronts was just 30 kilometres (20 miles) north of Athens, where authorities had ordered the evacuation of a village, Drosopigi. Several houses in Drosopigi were ablaze, with stiff winds were pushing flames through properties. One fire front had reached another village farther north, Kryoneri, where houses were also burning, a municipal adviser, Giannis Moniakis, told the Athens-Macedonian News Agency. He warned the situation was difficult and unpredictable, with fiery bursts occurring from strong wind gusts. Police said they had evacuated at least 27 people from their houses. One wildfire on the island of Kythera trapped dozens of people on a beach who had to be rescued by a coastguard vessel and three private boats. - 'Out of control' - The heatwave, which started in Greece on July 21, was expected to last until Monday, the country's weather service said. The National Observatory in Athens said the warmest temperature recorded Friday was 45.8C in the Peloponnese region of Messinia. On Saturday, the temperature reached 45.2C in Amfilohia, in western Greece. On the island of Euboea, also called Evia, northeast of Athens, two fire trucks were destroyed and two firemen taken to hospital with light injuries. "The situation is out of control. The destruction is immeasurable," a district mayor in the town of Chalcis on the island, Giorgos Psathas, told the Athens-Macedonian News Agency. He said several pig farms on the town's outskirts "have already been engulfed by the flames". In the Peloponnese's Messinia region, evacuations were also under way, as the fire front is deemed really dangerous. kan/rmb-jj
