Italy, Greece and France were particularly affected – but fires also raged in Great Britain. The Italian region of Friuli-Julisch bordering Carinthia Veneto declared a state of emergency because of the fires. The A4 motorway in the direction of Trieste was interrupted and train services from Venice to Trieste were suspended.
Fire brigades from Udine, Trieste and Gorizia were deployed in a major fire in the karst area. Slovenian firefighters and volunteers were also involved in the extinguishing work on Wednesday night. The emergency services were supported in fighting the fires by firefighting aircraft and helicopters, as reported by local media. The flames are not yet under control.
Because of the heavy smoke that developed after a fire near the port of Monfalcone, a production plant of the shipping company Fincantieri had to remain closed on Wednesday. 3,000 employees of the shipbuilder did not go to work. The cause of the severe fires that raged on Monday in the Friulian karst area in the provinces of Gorizia and Trieste is still unknown. 350 hectares of forest were destroyed between Italy and Slovenia. There was also a large forest fire near Lucca in Tuscany, where more than 100 people had to be evacuated on Tuesday.
“Pleasant” 30 degrees in Athens
In Greece, which is also suffering from heat waves, more pleasant temperatures were announced for Wednesday. Athens should be around 30 degrees warm. In the north-east of Athens, however, the fire continued to burn. The flames penetrated inhabited areas and destroyed numerous houses. According to state broadcasters, three firefighters and nine residents were slightly injured and taken to hospital with respiratory problems. Seven towns and a children’s hospital were evacuated.
As a spokesman for the fire brigade announced on Wednesday, nine fire-fighting aircraft and seven fire-fighting helicopters were deployed to fight the flames at first light. In addition, the crews of 120 fire engines are deployed. Thick, brownish clouds of smoke could be seen from almost every part of Athens on Wednesday morning. Due to limited visibility, parts of the highway connecting Athens with the airport had to be temporarily closed.
16 firefighters injured
The situation was even dramatic because of the heat Great Britain. In Coningsby in the east English county of Lincolnshire, 40.3 degrees were measured on Tuesday afternoon. At least 16 firefighters were injured fighting fires in London on the hottest day in Britain’s history. There have been more than 1,000 emergency calls in the capital, most of them because of the heat. London Mayor Sadiq Khan spoke of the busiest day for fire services since World War II. Two major fires in east London in particular caused a stir.
Large fires also raged on the French Atlantic coast, and they continued to spread on Tuesday. Within a week, 19,300 hectares of land burned south of Bordeaux, according to the prefecture responsible for the Gironde. In Portugal and Spain, there have also been fires in several places for days.
Source: Nachrichten
