Europe is under the power of fires in the last few hours helped by the high temperature, firefighters are fighting the flames in Valle de Arlanza in the northern province of Spain, Burgos.
Spain’s national weather office said a relentless heatwave since July 9 and a lack of rain since the start of the year across the Iberian Peninsula meant there was an “extreme” risk of wildfires. Fires in France, Spain and Portugal have already burned more land than was destroyed by flames in all of 2021.
Meanwhile, hundreds of residents and foreign tourists have been evacuated from the Greek island of Lesvos, amid the inferno of forest fires that are threatening entire villages in the area. 50 firemen, 17 fire engines and 9 tanker planes were engaged in fighting the flames, while local volunteers also came to their aid. The giant fire started early Saturday morning near Vatera, a popular destination for foreign visitors, and has yet to be brought under control. Along the way, the flames burned several buildings and even went down to the coast, causing panic among the residents.
According to local media, since Saturday, more than 450 residents have been evacuated from several parts of the island, while 9 people were rescued after being stranded on a beach near Vatera.
Greece has been hit hard by forest fires in recent days at a time when the whole of Europe has faced a record heat wave, which has fueled massive flames in France and Italy. 320 firefighters are fighting to stop the advance of the flames in the Dadia National Park, which threatens, among other things, the nests of black eagles there, an extremely rare bird species.
Greece itself is in the grip of a prolonged heatwave with temperatures expected to reach 43 degrees Celsius, and many parts of the country are on fire alert.
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