Huge wildfire rages on La Palma forcing thousands to evacuate
Hundreds have fled as wildfires rage in Greece for a third day while authorities brace for a new heatwave stoking tinderbox conditions across the country.
Dozens of homes were gutted in towns west of Athens, while the fire brigade reported that a third fire had broken out on the island of Rhodes. Firefighters worked throughout the night and four aircraft sent from Italy and France will soon join the efforts to keep the flames at bay, as a second heatwave is forecast to start in Greece on Thursday.
Thousands have also been evacuated in the Canary Islands and Switzerland in recent days, as southern Europe is gripped by the ongoing wildfires and extreme heat caused by the fossil-fuel-driven climate crisis.
Temperature records have been shattered in Rome and Catalonia, provisional data suggests, and meteorologists predict that temperatures this week may surpass Europe’s current record of 48.8C, set in Sicily in August 2021, raising fears of a repetition of last year’s heat deaths, which saw an estimated 61,000 fatalities in Europe alone.
Britain’s Foreign Office has updated its travel advice for Spain and Greece, with holidaymakers urged to sign up for emergency alerts and warned of travel disruption.
