Hundreds evacuated as wildfires hit Tuscany, Athens
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WILDFIRES in several parts of Italy and in mountains near Athens forced hundreds to evacuate as temperatures kept rising in Europe.
Fire brigades in Tuscany battled a wildfire on Wednesday (Jul 20) that caused gas tanks to explode, as smoke from a blaze in northeast Italy forced shipbuilder Fincantieri to shut down a 3,000-staff plant.
9 cities were on the country’s highest heatwave alert, which warns of serious health risks linked to the weather, up from five on Tuesday. The total will rise to 14 on Thursday, including Rome, Milan and Florence.
Hundreds of firefighters on Wednesday battled a wildfire that raged for a second day in Penteli region near Athens, burning homes and cars and forcing the evacuation of at least nine settlements and a hospital.
Gale-force winds and thick smoke hindered fire-fighting efforts from the air and on the ground, authorities said. Strong winds were forecast to persist until Wednesday afternoon.
The wildfire broke out around 1430 GMT on Tuesday, some 27 km north of the Greek capital and was still burning on several fronts. The billowing smoke was visible from the island of Evia some 50 km away.
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Penteli had suffered a wildfire in July 2018. Huge wildfires in 1995 and 1998 had burned more than 13,000 of hectares.
“There are a number of destroyed homes and businesses. We will have a clearer count tomorrow,” Thanasis Zoutsos, the mayor of Pallini, on the outskirts of Athens told state ERT TV.
In a televised statement, Fire Department spokesperson Yiannis Artopios talked of a “difficult night,” as wind speeds exceeded 80 kilometres per hour, constantly changing direction, hindering efforts to tame the blaze.
Authorities had ordered the evacuation of nine districts, including Pallini and Gerakas. One hospital and the National Observatory of Athens were also evacuated as police helped at least 600 people flee fire-stricken areas.
Temperatures are expected to hit 40 degree Celsius across a swathe of the north and centre of Italy this week, as well as in the southern heel of Italy’s boot, Puglia, and the islands of Sardinia and Sicily. REUTERS, AFP
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