Eight people have died and thousands have been evacuated from their homes as extreme wildfires continue to ravage parts of southern Europe, with Turkey, Italy, and Greece particularly hard hit.
The deaths occurred in Turkey, where firefighters have battled blazes in several coastal resort towns for the past week. Ten other people have been hospitalised. Turkish coastguards evacuated hundreds of villagers from areas near a burning power plant in the Aegean province of Muğla.
In Italy, the number of large wildfires is estimated to have tripled this summer compared to the yearly average, causing millions of euros in damage to the environment and economy, particularly in central and southern regions. Meanwhile, northern Italy has been hit by severe flooding and landslides, especially in Lombardy, where heavy rain caused Lake Como to burst its banks.
In Greece, the capital Athens faced “apocalyptic” scenes as wildfires burned houses and villages in the north-east amid a protracted heatwave. The Acropolis was closed to visitors, and the main road to Athens was briefly cut off. Fires also threatened the archaeological site of Olympia. On the island of Evia, villages were evacuated and 90 people rescued by boat from a beach.
Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis warned that “the worst is yet to come” as fires north of Athens flared up again and winds were set to strengthen. Since 28 July, 180 fires have broken out in Turkey, while more than 100 were still burning in Greece on Wednesday night.
