Fires cause blasts in Greek munitions depot

RHODES, Greece — A wildfire whipped on by strong winds triggered a series of massive explosions Thursday at an air force ammunition depot in central Greece, while firefighters worked to tame multiple blazes in the country.

There were no injuries at the depot, which had been evacuated before the explosions, and by late Thursday the fire was no longer active. The Greek air force said that F-16 fighter jets at a nearby base were moved to another facility as a precaution, but that the base had not been under any immediate threat.

Fires have raged across parts of Greece during three successive Mediterranean heat waves in the past two weeks, leaving five people dead, including two firefighting pilots, and triggering a huge weekend evacuation of tourists on the island of Rhodes.

The fire in the Volos area of central Greece’s Magnissia region reached the ammunition storage facility about 4 miles north of the major military air base in Nea Anchialos.

Local media reported that bombs and ammunition for Greek F-16 fighters were stored at the site.

The large explosions shattered windows on houses in a surrounding area, but the Greek fire service said no severe injuries were reported in nearby villages, which also were evacuated as a precaution.

Fire Service spokesman Ioannis Artopios said 12 villages were ordered evacuated in the Volos-Nea Anchialos area.

“Despite their superhuman efforts, our forces were unable to stop the blaze,” he said.

Artopios said the Volos area blaze was the most dangerous of the 124 wildfires the fire service had to deal with Thursday.

The wildfire burned on three fronts and forced a section of Greece’s busiest highway to close for several hours, while national rail services passing through the area were delayed.

State ERT television showed residents and visitors in the coastal village of Anchialos, some 2 1/2 miles from the blast site, being evacuated by sea, while others were leaving in cars and buses. The coast guard said more than a hundred residents were taken in small private boats to the city of Volos.

The Nea Anchialos air base is some 12 miles from the city, where loud blasts could be heard.

Water-dropping helicopters and a ground crew scrambled early Thursday to a separate wildfire in Kifissia, just north of Athens, which was quickly put out.

Greek firefighters also battled flames for a 10th successive day on Rhodes, where officials said the blazes were largely contained. Flare-ups were reported on the island of Evia.

The World Meteorological Organization, a U.N. body, and a European Union climate change service reported Thursday that temperatures during the first three weeks of July set a new global heat record.

As Southern Europe fights extreme heat and wildfires, parts of central Europe have been hit with winter conditions. Subfreezing temperatures, frost and snow have been reported in the Tatra Mountains, which run through Poland and Slovakia.