Southern Europe on flames: devastating forest fires in Greece, Italy, Croatia and France

Southern Europe on flames: devastating forest fires in Greece, Italy, Croatia and France

southern Europe is currently on fire. Popular holiday regions such as Greece, Italy, Croatia and France are particularly affected. In these countries, the authorities are fighting with devastating forest fires, while tourists should actually enjoy their annual vacation. We give an overview of the current situation in the affected countries.

In Greece, the authorities had to fight around 600 forest fires in the past twelve days alone. The Central Greece region is particularly affected, where one of the fires reached a ammunition camp of the Greek Air Force. The subsequent explosions were heard for miles. Fortunately, the ammunition camp was evacuated in time. But relaxation of the situation is not yet in sight. 61 new forest fires have emerged in the last 24 hours. The government has proclaimed the highest brand alarm level for almost half of the country. The persistent heat wave and strong winds make the extinguishing work difficult and keep the fires flare up again and again. Meteorologists warn that the small fires can quickly expand to large fires due to the dry vegetation.

The devastating forest fires have also been raging on the Greek island of Rhodes for ten days. Fortunately, the holiday village of Gennadi and its residents could be saved, although some houses have already fallen victim to the flames. A total of around 20,000 people had to be evacuated. The fire brigade and numerous volunteers struggle against the fires with the simplest means. The failure of the authorities is criticized by the islanders and employees from the tourism industry, since the fires had previously been under control but were not completely deleted.

On the island of Euböa, the forest fires have demanded three fatalities, including two pilots who crashed with a fire aircraft, and a shepherd who died in the flames. The forest fires are also spreading in Thessalia near the city of Volos. Several towns had to be evacuated, and hundreds of firefighters and fire aircraft are in use.

In Croatia, about 130 firefighters and fire aircraft fight against a forest fire near the coastal town of Dubrovnik. The flames have moved up to about twelve kilometers to the historic city center. According to media reports, the fires are said to have been triggered by explosions of old landmines.

in Italy burns especially in the south of the country and on the islands of Sicily and Sardinia. The location in northern Italy, between Milan and Bergamo, is a little more relaxed. The current forest fire maps also show fires in the regions of Verona, Turin and Alessandria.

In France, fights are mainly fought against the ongoing forest fires on the island of Corsica. More than 200 hectares of land have already been destroyed there. The Correcta monastery had to be evacuated. Overall, there are also a few fires in the southern France and the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region.

The current forest fires in southern Europe not only represent a threat to nature, but also endanger the tourism