Wildfires have ravaged at least nine countries in Europe and North Africa this week, forcing mass evacuations as firefighters battle on in tinderbox conditions.
Extreme heat and billowing winds have created the “perfect storm” for fires to rip through swathes of land in Greece, France, Portugal, Spain, Gran Canaria, Italy, Croatia, Turkey, Algeria and Tunisia.
In Rhodes, one of the worst affected Greek islands, more than 20,000 tourists and locals fled from the blaze in “the biggest evacuation” in Greece’s history.
Follow the latest on wildfires in Europe here.
The Greek Fire Brigade has been battling more than 500 fires for almost two weeks, but the service said the risk of fire remained “extreme” for several areas of Greece on Thursday.
Climate Crisis and Civil Protection minister Vassilis Kikilias said: “Given the climate crisis, we will again have extreme weather conditions that will again test our strength. Nothing is over, the battle will continue throughout the summer,” he said.
Italian firefighters said they battled nearly 1,400 fires between Sunday and Tuesday, including 650 in Sicily and 390 in Calabria, the southern mainland region where a bedridden 98-year-old man was killed as fire consumed his home.
Fires were still burning on the hills around Palermo on Wednesday, with Canadair planes back in operation to try to douse the flames.
Speaking to Sky News, Piero Messina said: “The landscape from Palermo from the night of the fire seems to be really an apocalypse scene. It seems to be not real.”
Flames burn in a field in Capaci, near Palermo, in Sicily, southern Italy— (LaPresse)
Meanwhile, in North Africa, at least 34 people have been killed in Algeria, with fires burning in a total of 15 provinces and 1,500 people evacuated from their homes. Among those killed were 10 soldiers who became trapped by flames.
Strong winds have resulted in fires spreading to neighbouring Tunisia, with two border crossings closed in an attempt to contain the blaze.
Here we look at where the fires have struck this week:
Rhodes:
Italy:
Croatia:
Portugal:
Turkey:
