Hospital evacuated after wildfire breaks out in Greece

Hospital evacuated after wildfire breaks out in Greece
by AFP Staff Writers
Athens (AFP) July 9, 2024

A wildfire fuelled by strong winds broke out in the Greek port city of Patras on Tuesday, authorities said, forcing a children's hospital and residents of several localities to evacuate.

Patients were transported to other facilities elsewhere in Greece's third city as 95 firefighters, 25 vehicles and water bombers battled the blaze, which was put under control on Tuesday evening.

"The evacuation went quickly. All the children in the hospital were transferred to other hospitals in the city," paediatrician Thanasis Filias told public broadcaster ERT.

Residents in three areas of Patras -- located in the Peloponnese region -- left their homes and took refuge in the city centre, civil protection officials said on X.

Greek Civil Protection Minister Vassilis Kikilias said on X that the "very dangerous fire" had been controlled in two hours.

Other regions issued wildfire warnings as Greece faces what Kikilias has said is its "worst wildfire season in 20 years".

Besides the children's hospital, a retirement home and a medical centre also had to be evacuated as a result.

Later Tuesday, fire brigade spokesman Vassilis Vathrakogiannis told ERT that no houses were threatened by the flames.

"The front and its momentum have been contained," he said.

Also speaking on ERT, Patras Mayor Kostas Peletidis likewise said that the situation was improving while cautioning that "it's not over, of course".

Other wildfires broke out across Greece Tuesday, spurred by high winds and soaring temperatures.

The National Observatory of Athens recorded 37 degrees Celsius (98 degrees Fahrenheit) in the region of Attica, which wraps around Athens.

Authorities warned against a "very high risk" of wildfires in six regions Wednesday, including in central Greece, Peloponnese, Attica and northeastern Aegean Sea islands like Lesbos.

Parts of the country will see temperatures exceed 40 degrees Celsius (104 degrees Fahrenheit) with peaks at 41-42C (106-108F) and 39-49 kilometre per hour winds (24-30 miles per hour), according to weather forecaster Meteo.gr.

Strong winds and drought conditions have fanned fires in recent weeks in the area around Athens, on the island of Chios near the Turkish mainland and in Peloponnese.

While June temperatures in Greece normally do not surpass 31C, the country recorded in 2024 its hottest June since 1960, experts have said.

Scientists say climate change makes extreme weather events including heatwaves more likely, longer-lasting and more intense.

Villages in southern Albania battle wildfires
Tirana (AFP) July 9, 2024 - Crews on Tuesday battled wildfires raging in southern Albania as a heatwave sweeps the Balkans, said authorities who charged a suspect in connection with the flames.

Firefighters, backed by a helicopter, brought several blazes under control on Monday, but high temperatures and winds have spurred the flames' spread near the villages of Dropull and Finiq, the ministry said.

The suspect is accused of arson -- the 18th person to face an arson charge over the last month for sparking wildfires across Albania, police said.

"A Cougar helicopter and about 30 members of our armed forces resumed operations this morning to put out the fire raging in villages near Dropull," said Defence Minister Niko Peleshi.

Footage of the efforts posted by Peleshi on Facebook showed hilltops engulfed in flames, and rescuers working through thick smoke.

A heatwave expected to last until the end of the week has swept across the Balkans, with temperatures surpassing 40 degrees Celsius (104 degrees Fahrenheit) in Albania.

Greece records hottest June in over six decades: researchers
Athens (AFP) July 9, 2024 - Greece recorded in 2024 its hottest June since 1960, a researcher said Tuesday, as the Mediterranean nation braces for a season of heatwaves and wildfires.

The average temperature in Greece has increased by 2.5 degrees Celsius during the decades from 1960 to 2024, said Kostas Lagouvardos, research director at the National Observatory of Athens.

"The month of June 2024 was characterised by long periods of elevated temperatures over several days, largely surpassing normal seasonal temperatures throughout the country," he added.

While June temperatures in Greece normally do not exceed 30-31 degrees Celsius (86-88 degrees Fahrenheit), the nation had temperatures this year of 35C and a heatwave in mid-June with temperatures of over 40C, Lagouvardos said.

Greek government spokesman Pavlos Marinakis told reporters this week there had been 1,281 fires this June compared with 533 last June.

Strong winds and drought conditions have fanned fires in recent weeks in the area around Athens, on the island of Chios near the Turkish mainland and in the Peloponnese region south of the capital.

Scientists say climate change makes extreme weather events including heatwaves more likely, longer lasting and more intense.