Hundreds of firemen battled to put out wildfires across southern Europe yesterday, some of which are believed to have been set deliberately by arsonists and stoked by an extended heatwave gripping the region.
The European Union sent reinforcements to help Greece and Spain tackle blazes which have killed three firemen, damaged homes and buildings and razed swathes of farm and forest land, forcing the evacuation of thousands of people.
Hot and dry summers have been common in the Mediterranean region. But wildfires fanned by intense heat and winds, the result of a fast-changing climate, scientists say, have become more destructive and tougher to control.
From Portugal to Spain, Albania and Greece, firemen struggled to contain towering walls of flames threatening life and property. The Iberian Peninsula alone made up about half of the EU’s burned area of some 500,000 hectares so far this year, according to estimates by the European Forest Fire Information System (EFFIS).
In Greece, more than 200 firemen assisted by 11 aircraft battled to extinguish a blaze near the port city of Patras in the western Peloponnese. Elevated temperatures stoked tinderbox conditions.
“In such circumstances just a spark is enough to start a fire which can quickly spin out of control,” said Greece’s Civil Protection and Climate Change Minister Giannis Kefalogiannis.
Three people suspected of deliberately igniting wildfires near Patras were arrested and expected to appear before a public prosecutor, a senior police official told Reuters on condition of anonymity.
Greece has made available a record number of some 18,000 firemen this year.
In Spain, three people, including volunteer firemen, died amid dozens of wildfires this week, as the country baked in a heatwave for an 11th day with temperatures as high as 44C in some areas, expected to last until Monday.
Local media identified the latest victim as 37-year-old Jaime Aparicio, who suffered burns to 85 per cent of his body after being trapped alongside another volunteer fireman as they attempted to create firebreaks with brush cutters.
Yesterday, 11 large fires threatened built-up areas, forcing authorities to evacuate more than 9,000 residents, and to cut off roads and suspend rail services.
In Portugal, nearly 1,000 firemen battled a blaze near the scenic mountain village of Piodao.
Crews managed to bring under control a wildfire burning for 11 days – the longest for this season – in the mountainous area of Vila Real in the north.
In Albania, soldiers, firemen and volunteers battled to contain separate fronts in the Sopot area between Delvina and Gjirokastra.
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