The problem is getting worse and worse, at the same time around 40 degrees are expected in Italy and France in the coming days. In Spain, the heat alarm is still in effect in 16 of the 17 autonomous communities until this Friday. In the regions of Extremadura in the west and Andalusia in the south, temperatures climbed up to 45 degrees.
Maximum temperatures of 37 degrees were predicted on the popular holiday island of Mallorca – by the way, it was that much in Lower Austria on Thursday. Only the Canaries off the west coast of Africa are spared from the extreme heat. The heatwave in Spain will end on Tuesday at the earliest, after about eleven days, as the national weather service announced on Thursday.
40 degrees in Portugal
In Portugal it was already more than 40 degrees this week. In addition, numerous forest fires gave many residents and emergency services no respite. Eleven major fires were active on Thursday, according to civil defense (ANEPC). “The whole country is on fire,” was the headline in the Jornal de Notícias newspaper. Prime Minister António Costa announced that the third-highest level of emergency, which has been in force throughout Portugal since Monday, will be extended until Sunday.
Pictures show the whale fires:
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According to the ANEPC, in addition to a drought that has been going on for months, strong winds are also promoting the spread of the fires. According to the authorities, quite a few fires were set negligently or intentionally. Arrests have already been made.
The forest fires also continued on the French Atlantic coast near Bordeaux. In the early hours of the morning, emergency services again evacuated a settlement and brought about 60 people to safety, later they also evacuated a community with around 4,000 people. According to the prefecture, around 1,000 firefighters were deployed in the fires around Teste-de-Buch and Landiras. The orange forest fire warning level now applies in the area. In heavily forested communities, fireworks have been banned for the time being. Thursday was a national holiday in France. Usually there are fireworks all over the country.
State of emergency in Italy due to drought
There has been a drought in Italy for weeks. The government has already declared a state of emergency in five northern regions along the Po River due to drought. Other regions could follow, as Minister of Agriculture Stefano Patuanelli said on Wednesday evening. Sicily and Sardinia continue to report the risk of forest fires. South Tyrol in northern Italy registered significantly more forest fires than usual in 2022: “While there have been an average of around 20 forest fires per year over the past 20 years, this year it was over 40,” said the South Tyrolean Provincial Councilor for Forestry, Arnold Schuler (SVP). , in Bolzano. He warned: A quarter of the fires are probably due to cigarettes.
Pictures show how the drought drained the major rivers:
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Video: In Rome, too, tourists and locals have to face the heat – a local inspection
Strong winds fueled fires in Greece on Thursday afternoon. A large fire raged in the northeast near the port city of Alexandroupoli. As a precaution, 18 children were evacuated from an SOS Children’s Village, Mayor Giannis Zamboukis told the To Proto Thema newspaper. Forests also burned uncontrollably near Preveza on the west coast and on the island of Kefalonia. In the past seven days, 264 forest fires have been registered across the country.
The fire brigade also issued a forest fire warning level of four (out of five) for parts of the country on Friday, including Athens and the surrounding area as well as the islands of Crete, Lesbos and Samos. A firefighting helicopter crashed into the sea from a low altitude off the coast of Samos on Wednesday evening when the crew tried to take in water. Two occupants died and the pilot was taken to hospital with serious injuries. It was initially unclear why the helicopter crashed.
Fires in Dalmatia under control
In Croatia, a forest fire near the Dalmatian town of Sibenik was largely brought under control on Thursday. The sources of fire on the so-called Krka Riviera no longer spread uncontrollably, as the civil defense in Sibenik announced.
Fires were also brought under control in Turkey. On the Datca peninsula in the south-west of the country, emergency services are now cooling down the area, Forest Minister Vahit Kirisci said on Thursday. The fire on the Datca peninsula, which is also popular with holidaymakers, broke out on Wednesday. According to official figures, more than 3,500 people had to leave their homes temporarily.
In contrast to other European countries, temperatures are also rising in Austria, but no such peak values are expected. More than 37 degrees were measured in Lower Austria on Thursday, and up to 38 degrees are forecast for the coming week:
Source: Nachrichten
