ATHENS (Reuters) -Gale force wind gusts complicated efforts on Friday to contain wildfires on Crete that have razed forests and olive groves and forced thousands of residents and tourists to evacuate.
Around 130 firefighters, 48 vehicles and six helicopters were deployed on the third day of the effort, with the wind and dry conditions raising the risk that blazes might restart in areas of the island where they had already been contained.
In Greece’s capital Athens, about 800 people were evacuated from the suburb of Koropi where more than 120 firefighters battled a blaze supported by eight airplanes and eight helicopters, a fire brigade spokesperson said.
The fires in Crete and in Athens come as much of Europe swelters in an early summer heatwave, which officials have linked to at least eight deaths on the continent.
The blazes in Crete, which broke out in a village about 16 km (10 miles) east of Ierapetra on Wednesday, have consumed swathes of agricultural land in the southeastern corner of the island, leaving dead animals and scorched farmhouses.
Olive farmer Giorgos Poulis was sorting out destroyed farming equipment beside his burned-out truck.
“The damage is incalculable in every way, from water drilling equipment, pipes, tires, cars, the cement mixer,” he said, gesturing around him.
George Tzarakis, head of Hoteliers of Ierapetra and southeastern Crete, told Reuters most of the 3,500 tourists who had been evacuated were returning to their hotels.
Tourism is a key earner in Crete, the largest island in Greece, and local hoteliers were concerned about future bookings as the fire hit at the start of the peak summer holiday season.
Temperatures in Greece were forecast to reach up to 38 degrees Celsius (100.4 Fahrenheit) on Friday, the Greek weather service said.
In another Athens suburb, Pikermi, some 148 firefighters battled a fire that broke out on Thursday, threatening many homes, cutting power and prompting authorities to move more than 300 people to safety. The fire was contained but not extinguished, the fire brigade official said.
In Italy, the health ministry put 20 of the 27 cities it monitors for heatwaves on red alert on Friday. RAI public broadcaster said temperatures would go as high as 38 C in Florence and 37 C in Rome, Bologna and Perugia.
Spain’s Health Ministry estimates that 341 deaths have been attributable to heat-related illnesses since the beginning of June, as the country grapples with soaring temperatures.
With the heat comes a higher risk of wildfires.
Greece and other Mediterranean countries are in an area dubbed “a wildfire hotspot” by scientists – with blazes common during hot and dry summers. These have become more destructive in recent years due to a fast-changing climate, prompting calls for a new approach.
“With multiple heatwaves and fire risks expected through September, there is an urgent need to shift from reactive response to proactive preparedness,” the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies said this week.
(Reporting by Angeliki Koutantou; Additional reporting by Emma Farge, Pinedo Gonzalez, Eleftherios Papadimas and Reuters TV; Editing by Frances Kerry and Philippa Fletcher)
