Wildfires are spreading across southern Europe due to heatwaves and strong winds. As of Wednesday (August 13), the raging flames have destroyed thousands of homes, according to Reuters.
The European Union’s Science Hub Joint Research Centre reported that this year, wildfires have damaged nearly 1,700 square miles (440,000 hectares) in the Eurozone — double the area destroyed during the same period in 2006. Some recent wildfires are suspected to have been caused by arson or thunderstorms, which are still under investigation.
In Greece, olive groves and forests on the outskirts of Patras — west of the capital Athens — have been burned. A cement factory also caught fire, disrupting rail communication.
Describing the severity of the situation, Athens-based volunteer Giorgos Karvanis said, “It feels like the end of the world has come. May God help us and the people here.”
On Tuesday, residents of a town of about 7,700 people near Patras were ordered to evacuate. On Wednesday, new warnings were issued for two nearby villages, urging residents to leave.
On the popular Greek tourist islands of Chios and Kefalonia, authorities also ordered people to move to safety as fires spread.
In Spain, a volunteer firefighter was killed after suffering severe burns, and several others were hospitalized. The 35-year-old was trapped while creating a firebreak near the town of Nogarejas in the Castilla y León region. This brings the wildfire death toll in Spain this year to six, including two other firefighters in Tarragona and Ávila. The country’s weather agency AEMET said almost the entire country is at very high or high wildfire risk.
Meanwhile, Spanish Environment Minister Sara Aguesen said many of the fires spreading across the country are believed to have been deliberately set.
In Ávila, north of Madrid, a male firefighter was arrested Tuesday over a blaze two weeks ago. In Galicia’s Muxía area, a 63-year-old woman is under investigation over a wildfire last August, police said.
In the southern coastal Cádiz area, police have identified a suspect with burned hands after setting a fire at a beach development project. Several other fires have been caused by lightning strikes.
In Albania, Defence Minister Piro Vengu said fires are burning in various locations across the country. On Wednesday, the defence ministry reported that 10,000 firefighters, soldiers, and police were working to control 24 active fires. In two central villages, flames forced residents to flee with their livestock.
Alexander Held, a fire management expert at the European Forest Institute, said that firefighters unfamiliar with working in natural environments are risking their lives on the front lines.
According to Greenpeace, investing 1.2 billion USD annually in forest management could protect 9.9 million hectares (an area the size of Portugal) from wildfires each year. Proper implementation would save significant costs, as fighting fires and repairing damage costs about 99 times more than prevention.
Meanwhile, Spain has been experiencing a heatwave for 10 consecutive days, with temperatures reaching 45°C on Tuesday. The meteorological service said the heatwave could last until Monday, making it one of the longest in the country’s history.
Elsewhere, Italy’s health ministry issued extreme heat warnings in 16 cities on Wednesday. Florence could see temperatures reach 39°C. To escape the heat, Pope Leo delivered his weekly address indoors instead of in St. Peter’s Square at the Vatican.
