Fires burning across Europe
PARIS: Dozens of wildfires have hit countries across northern Europe and Greece as a heatwave continues to grip the continent.
In Greece, the deadliest blazes in more than a decade left 60 dead after wildfires ravaged the seaside areas near Athens.
The bodies of 26 people, including children, were discovered in the courtyard of a villa at the seaside resort of Mati. The devastation was blamed on winds of more than 100kmph, forcing the flames through the village.
More than 160 people were wounded, the government said.
In Sweden, emergency services yesterday said there were 21 wildfires in the country as much of Scandinavia baked in a heatwave.
Some 25,000ha of land had burnt or continued to burn, an area twice the size of Paris.
Authorities on Monday warned of an “extreme” risk of new outbreaks in the south of the country due to high temperatures.
In Finland, in the northernmost Lapland province, which calls itself the “official home” of Santa Claus, fires ravaged woods and grassland near the Russian border.
In Norway, which had its hottest May temperatures on record, there were several small fires.
One firefighter was killed on July 15 trying to contain a blaze.
In Latvia, fires have raged for almost a week, destroying more than 800ha in its western areas.
In Germany, the German Meteorological Service warned of a significant risk of fires in fields and forests due to drought.
It forecast daytime temperatures to reach between 30°C and 35°C during the week.
In the United Kingdom, parts of the country continued to experience a prolonged heatwave.
The government issued a “heathealth watch” alert for much of east and southeast England.
In the Netherlands, the National Institute for Public Health issued a heat warning for the week, warning air quality was likely to be “bad” for much of the country.
Twelve bridges in Amsterdam closed as the extreme heat could buckle the metal, the NOS public broadcaster reported.