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Forest fires on the holiday island of Rhodes have gotten out of control. In Greece, too, the fire brigade warns of a major fire hazard. There is no end in sight to the heat wave in Greece or Italy.
Forest fires in Rhodes: The forest fires that have been raging on Rhodes for three days got out of control on Saturday afternoon. The flames reached the coast south of the popular archaeological site of Lindos in the afternoon. There are dozens of hotels that are fully booked at this time of year. State radio reported in a special on Saturday evening that 8,000 people had left the south overland. Late on Saturday evening, the authorities spoke of 30,000 people fleeing the flames.
Legend:
Firefighters try to put out a forest fire near Laerma. (July 22, 2023)
HAZZ Slovak Fire and Rescue Services/Handout via REUTERS
A spokesman for the fire brigade had previously announced that 2,000 people had been brought to safety by boat from the coasts south of Lindos. How many people fled overland was not yet known from official sources on Saturday evening.
Heat in Greece: In Greece, too, the fire brigade again warned of the great danger of forest fires. “We have even more difficult times ahead of us,” said a spokesman on state television on Saturday. The fires in the Athens area and on the Peloponnese peninsula have been brought under control. However, they flare up again and again because everything has dried up, it was said.
Legend:
People in Athens’ Monastiraki district walk past a fog machine to cool off. (July 20, 2023)
Keystone/AP Photo/Petros Giannakouris
In northern Greece there were values around 40 degrees in many places on Saturday. Even most of the Aegean islands have temperatures above 38 degrees. Values of up to 45 degrees are expected in southern Greece on Sunday, according to the meteorological office. According to meteorologists, the heat wave will continue with small fluctuations in the coming week. A new high is expected on Wednesday with temperatures around 46 degrees in southern Greece.
Heat wave and severe weather in Italy: The Italian meteorologists are also expecting a new heat wave at the beginning of next week. Temperatures of 47 to 48 degrees are then possible between Sardinia and Sicily, writes the weather service Ilmeteo.it. The weather service of the Italian Air Force registered 40 degrees from Palermo, the capital of Sicily, early Saturday afternoon. In Rome it was 37 degrees.
Legend:
People cool off on Mondello beach in Palermo. (July 18, 2023)
Keystone/EPA/Igor Petyx
Meanwhile, severe storms in northern and central Italy caused considerable damage on Saturday. The area around Bologna and the Adriatic coast were among those affected. The weather service for the Emilia-Romagna region, whose capital is Bologna, also reported severe thunderstorms from the provinces of Reggio Emilia, Ferrara and Ravenna.
Slight relaxation in Spain: On Friday, among other things, it was relatively bearable for the people in Madrid with 32 degrees. But it’s supposed to be hot on Sunday, when the Spanish parliamentary elections are also taking place. As the state meteorological service Aemet predicted, 40 degrees are expected in parts of southern Spain.