Europe sees another year of droughts and wildfires

[July 28, 2023]  (Reuters) - Europe is battling the effects of scorching, dry weather, that has triggered wildfires in many regions. June was the hottest month on record in the 174-year history of temperature monitoring, and July appears on track to break that record.

Below is a list of the most recent blazes and heat-related warnings issued in Europe.

CROATIA

On Tuesday, flames came within 12 km of Dubrovnik, Croatia's top tourist destination, as strong winds prevented the deployment of aircraft. The fire was under control as of Wednesday.

FRANCE

More than 300 firefighters were battling to contain fires near the city of Arles on Tuesday, while several more fires broke out in southwestern France and the southern Bouches-du-Rhone department was placed under a "red alert".

GREECE

The fire brigade said on Wednesday that 61 wildfires had erupted across Greece in the past 24 hours.

Intensified by strong winds and temperatures exceeding 40 degrees Celsius (104 Fahrenheit), the blazes killed two people in the coastal area of Magnesia, north of Athens, on Wednesday and forced a new wave of evacuations.

Fires burning since July 19 on the island of Rhodes forced the evacuation of some 20,000 people over the weekend. Thousands of tourists were flown home and tour operators have cancelled upcoming trips.

ITALY

Italian firefighters battled nearly 1,400 fires between Sunday and Tuesday, including 650 in Sicily and 390 in Calabria. Three elderly people died in the region of Palermo, in Sicily. Another 98-year-old man was killed as fire consumed his home in Calabria.

The temperature in some areas in eastern Sicily rose to 47 Celsius (116.6 Fahrenheit) on Sunday, close to the record European high of 48.8 Celsius from two years ago.

A firefighting helicopter drops water as a wildfire burns in Mandra, Greece, July 18, 2023. REUTERS/Alkis Konstantinidis

PORTUGAL

Flames swept across a natural park near the popular holiday destination of Cascais in southern Portugal, with strong winds complicating efforts to put them out. The fire was under control as of Wednesday, authorities said.

Mainland Portugal is facing widespread drought, with some 90% of the country affected.

SPAIN

Hundreds of villagers were evacuated as a wildfire broke out at the centre of the island of Gran Canaria on Tuesday, ravaging 400 hectares of woodland before being stabilized early Thursday.

On the neighboring island of La Palma, a fire forced the evacuation of more than 4,000 people and burnt 2,900 hectares of land between July 15-19.

The country has been enduring a prolonged period of drought, with the first four months of 2023 being the driest on record.

SWITZERLAND

More than 200 people were evacuated due to a fire on the forested flank of a mountain in Bitsch in the Valais canton near the Italian border. The blaze broke out on July 17 and the situation was "stable" as of July 22, officials said.

TURKEY

A wildfire near the resort of Kemer in the southern province of Antalya burnt 120 hectares of woodland on Tuesday. Kemer State Hospital was evacuated as a precaution and six people were hospitalized due to smoke inhalation.

(Reporting and compiling by Dina Kartit and Gaëlle Sheehan; Editing by Milla Nissi and Bernadette Baum)

[© 2023 Thomson Reuters. All rights reserved.]This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.  Thompson Reuters is solely responsible for this content.