As the Mediterranean Sea faces a scorching heat wave, the death toll from wildfires in Turkey has risen to eight, and in Greece, several people have been hospitalized during the country’s worst heat wave in three decades. In the coastal city of Pescara in eastern Italy, more than 800 residents and holidaymakers had to be evacuated, with fires escalating in several directions, and in neighboring Spain, authorities had to urge the population to stay away from the city. San Juan Reservoir on the Alberche River, about 70 km from the capital, one of Madrid’s favorite bathing spots, which was destroyed by the flames.
The season of fires has just begun, but according to European figures cited by the Guardian, it is already more devastating than usual in the Mediterranean. And the fight against the flames is hampered by high temperatures and strong winds – phenomena the frequency of which scientists associate with global warming.
According to the British newspaper, Turkey was the result of the worst fires in a decade, with nearly 95,000 hectares burnt, compared with an average of 13,516 hectares in the same period from 2008 to 2020. Over a hundred fires have intensified in the past week, and the flames have spread so quickly that they have caught tourists in Bodrum, western Turkey by surprise, trapping them at seaside resorts that have had to be evacuated across the Aegean Sea. According to CBS, authorities have even approached the citizens who own yachts and sailboats with a request for help in the operation so that they can be rescued in time.
“It’s incredible, just incredible. How the fire broke out in five minutes, ”asked one of 100 Russian tourists evacuated from Bodrum as he filmed the flames reaching the coast aboard a makeshift fleet in a video made by Sputnik this weekend. Others were less fortunate. According to Al Jazeera, at least one of the victims recorded this Monday died in Bodrum.
Meanwhile, European support began to arrive in Turkey: firefighters were sent to help Turkish colleagues, as well as three firefighting planes, one from Croatia and two from Spain. Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s government has been criticized for delaying its response to the tragedy, as it admitted it did not buy the plane to fight the fires – which turned into a national scandal as a third of Turkey’s territory is covered with forests.
The lack of resources is such that Turkish firefighters have been forced to use riot police water cannons, which are commonly used to kill protesters, France Press reported.
general panic In Italy, the scenario is no simpler. Over the weekend alone, more than 800 fires have occurred in the country, destroying homes, businesses and putting the tourism industry at greater risk.
“Because of the smoke, we had to evacuate several homes and beach resorts,” Carlo Muski told the Guardian Carlo Muski, mayor of Pescara, a city surrounded by the Pineta Dannunziana Nature Reserve, where even the nuns in the monastery were forced to flee. “The biggest problem is the hot wind. We are doing everything we can to minimize damage. “
In Greece, the fires also cause panic: more than three thousand hectares of olive groves and pines were destroyed in a single fire on the outskirts of Patras, and on the island of Rhodes, the “Valley of the Butterflies” is very popular with tourists.
In addition, temperatures between 40 and 42 ° C are expected in Greece in the coming days, with a peak on Tuesday. With so many refrigeration appliances available, the grid is supplying them, and the government has called on the Greeks to limit energy consumption in the early morning and night.
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